Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme Governance Structure | Seafish

Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme Governance Structure

We’ve adopted a formal governance structure to ensure the Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme (RFPS) is credible and robust.



Development of the RFPS Governance Structure

During the early development stage the RFPS governance structure comprised of two separate groups:

  • the Oversight Board – to provide strategic oversight
  • a Technical Committee – to determine the technical performance criteria a fishing port/harbour would have to satisfy

In June 2019 these two groups were merged to form an independent Oversight and Technical Board.

The RFPS Oversight and Technical Board (OTB)

The OTB is made up of representatives from each key supply chain sector within the seafood industry. It is responsible for overseeing the future strategic direction of the RFPS and the development of technical detail.

For more information on OTB membership download our list of RFPS Oversight and Technical members.

To maintain governance integrity, the credentials of the OTB’s members have been vetted. Members have signed conditions of engagement and terms of reference which are available for public review. In addition serving members have signed a confidentiality agreement to protect the intellectual property of the RFPS.

OTB meeting notes

Notes from RFPS OTB meetings are available to download from the links below:

Responsibility for standard development

The OTB delegated the development of the RFPS standard criteria and code of practice to its technical members. These members were sector-specific experts.

Their primary role was to design a set of performance criteria which applicants would have to attain to get certification. They also had to ensure that the technical compliance indicators and guidance produced:

  1. met the strategic objectives of the RFPS
  2. complied with ISO 17065 accreditation requirements

Technical Committee meeting notes

Notes from RFPS technical committee meetings are available to download from the links below:

Further info

To find out more about RFPS and download the full standard visit our Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme webpage.

For a step-by-step guide on how to apply for RFPS certification visit our Applying for Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme Certification webpage.

If you're looking for more information about future developments of the Responsible Fishing Ports Scheme, email seafish@seafish.co.uk

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