The Responsible Fishing Scheme was launched by Seafish in 2006 to promote good operational and environmental practices and is the first scheme of its kind in the world. The RFS covers four key areas to enhance sustainable fishing practices, crew competence, vessel criteria and environmental considerations.
Independently audited, it was created in response to the needs of the seafood supply chain to demonstrate its commitment to the responsible sourcing of seafood. There are currently 585 vessels signed up to the scheme, some 80 of which are awaiting a final audit.
The Lady Maureen BM7, owned by Langdon & Philip and skippered by John Saunders, is one of five boats in the Brixham-based fleet to enter the Responsible Fishing Scheme on a group scheme basis, all of which have now all been certified.
Mick Bacon, Training and Accreditation Adviser at Seafish, said: “This is a wonderful achievement and I am delighted to congratulate the Lady Maureen and her owners Alex Phillip and David Langdon on being the 300th vessel to qualify for the Responsible Fishing Scheme. The Lady Maureen is one of the first to vessels to qualify from the port and, along with other recently qualified vessels, will greatly increase the availability of RFS vessel captured fish and shellfish to buyers in the South West of England.”
Vessel owner, Alex Philip, commented: “Certification for the Responsible Fishing Scheme demonstrates our commitment to using responsible catching methods which are recognised by fish merchants and the retailers. As more vessels gain certification with the scheme, greater awareness will help the UK seafood industry secure a more sustainable and profitable future.”
John Rutherford, Chief Executive of Seafish, said: “We are very pleased to announce this milestone vessel certification. Over 40% of the tonnage of UK registered vessels are now involved in the initiative and other fishing nations such as Holland are very close to adopting the scheme for their own fleet.”
