Novanam awarded FISH Standard by Bureau Veritas recognizing their fair and ethical working practices

Novanam, Namibian subsidiary of key Spanish player in the fishing industry Nueva Pescanova, has received the FISH standard for their two freezer vessels and eight wet-fish trawlers hosting around 300 crew. Novanam is one of the very first companies to receive this certification.

FISH is a new certification scheme that recognizes efforts made by companies in regards of their social accountability. Bureau Veritas (BV) was a key partner in the pilot phase to design and define this new standard.

The FISH standard is based on four principles – Fairness, Integrity, Safety and Health for crew – and relies on 28 criteria to assess socially responsible labour practices and ethical behaviours (e.g., no child labour, no forced labour, protection of migrant fishers) in the fishing sector. It establishes fair conditions of service for all fishers (e.g., fisher work agreement, fair remuneration, social security), ensures the safety and health of all fishers (e.g., rest periods and hours of work); and provides decent accommodation, water and food (e.g., appropriate accommodations, comfortable and safe spaces, appropriate food and potable water).

Congratulations to Novanam’s teams for their effort to shape a better fishing industry.

Click here to find out more about global standards toward social accountability in the fishing industry.