Legislature(2021 - 2022)GRUENBERG 120
02/24/2022 11:00 AM House FISHERIES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Rfm Alaska Certification Success | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
February 24, 2022
11:21 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Geran Tarr, Chair
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Representative Andi Story
Representative Sarah Vance
Representative Kevin McCabe
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Louise Stutes, Vice Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: RFM ALASKA CERTIFICATION SUCCESS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JEFF REGNART, Program Manager
Responsible Fisheries Management
Certified Seafood Collaborative
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "RFM:
Alaska Grown Success with a Global Vision" and answered
questions.
SUSAN MARKS, Sustainability Certification Advisor
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
Seattle, Washington
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint, titled, "RFM:
Alaska Grown Success with a Global Vision" and answered
questions.
ACTION NARRATIVE
11:21:58 AM
CHAIR GERAN TARR called the House Special Committee on Fisheries
meeting to order at 11:21 a.m. Representatives McCabe, Vance,
Kreiss-Tomkins (via teleconference), Story, and Tarr were
present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION: RFM ALASKA CERTIFICATION SUCCESS
PRESENTATION: RFM ALASKA CERTIFICATION SUCCESS
11:22:27 AM
CHAIR TARR announced that the only order of business would be a
presentation on the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM)
program and Alaska's certification success.
11:23:26 AM
JEFF REGNART, Program Manager, Responsible Fisheries Management,
Certified Seafood Collaborative (CSC), co-presented the
PowerPoint, titled "RFM: Alaska Grown Success with a Global
Vision" [hard copy included in the committee packet]. He stated
that RFM is a fisheries-certification program for wild capture
fisheries. He stated that the program has a chain-of-custody
standard, with a third-party audit. He continued that RFM and
the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global certification
program, certifies most of the fisheries in Alaska. The RFM
program provides a way for companies to communicate both product
origin and responsible sourcing without logo licensing fees.
The program's main objective is biological sustainability, with
nine certified Alaska fisheries under its banner. He
highlighted major milestones in the RFM program. Its inception
was in 2010 through the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
(ASMI), and it became an independent Certified Seafood
Collaborative (CSC) in 2020. He provided that the vision for
the RFM certification program is to have a broad worldwide
position in the primary seafood markets by 2025.
11:32:12 AM
SUSAN MARKS, Sustainability Certification Advisor, Alaska
Seafood Marketing Institute, stated that in 2019 an initiative
was launched to develop a new logo for the program. The new
logo removed any confusion in the marketplace between the Alaska
Seafood [generic] brand logo and the RFM certification label.
She added that the focus of the program had evolved to emphasize
chain-of-custody certification for use in retail and foodservice
sectors. She stated that 70 companies from the United States,
Japan, Canada, and China participated in the certification
program, with most being primary processors. She explained that
several companies have transitioned from using MSC logo to the
RFM logo on their products. The logo was trademarked for use on
both food products and supplements. She expressed the opinion
that one of RFC's greatest success stories is Walmart, which was
the first retailer to guide shoppers to look for certification
logos and recognize the importance of the RFM program. The RFM
signs were in 1,300 Walmart stores throughout the U.S. She
continued by sharing examples of global marketing campaigns.
11:41:48 AM
MR. REGNART continued the presentation by discussing the future
of the program, noting that the Pacific Whiting Fishery was the
first fishery outside of Alaska to seek RFM certification.
Global collaboration with sister programs in Iceland, Gulf
States, and Japan are underway to offer an alternative to MSC
and expand the visibility of the RFM logo. Additional exposure
was gained through external collaborations with platforms, such
as FishChoice and Monterey Bay Aquarium. The business case for
RFM includes affordability because of the absence of logo
licensing fees; origin preservation; accessibility; and most
importantly, reliability based on stable program requirements.
11:49:49 AM
MR. REGNART, in response to questions from the committee,
explained that the third-party auditor was an independent
business acting as a fishery-certification body. Three consumer
businesses had been trained by the CSC to audit fishery clients
to the standard. He stated that RFM offered a more consistent
approach to certification, in contrast to MSC, which made
frequent changes to its standard. He stated that the goal is to
combine a single logo [with MSC] in the future.
12:00:46 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 12:00
p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| House Fisheries Presentation - Responsible Fisheries Management - Certified Seafood Collective 2-24-22.pdf |
HFSH 2/24/2022 11:00:00 AM |
Fishery Certification |