The Seafish Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS) is a voluntary vessel based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels.

The RFS is open to all types of commercial fishing vessels It is a ‘business- to-business’ tool to help fishermen showcase best practice through independent, third-party auditing.

The RFS was launched in January 2016 to facilitate the market demand for independent due diligence audits of fishing vessels.  The RFS Standard was developed, and is continually reviewed, under the direction of an independent Oversight Board, made up of representatives of the UK catching sector, processors, retailers, safety experts and ethical NGOs.  The RFS is currently operating under version 1 of the Standard, which requires documented evidence regarding crew welfare, safety practices and employment contracts

For further information please visit www.seafish.org/rfs/