CSI Seafood Certification: A New Global Choice for Wild-Capture Seafood

RFM goes global and becomes CSI. Certified Seafood International is a certification programme for wild-capture seafood launched in April 2025, born from the Alaska-based Responsible Fisheries Management programme.

A regional programme outgrows its name

RFM was originally designed to certify Alaska's fisheries. Outside the US, this meant the programme was perceived as purely an Alaskan initiative.

With the new name, the Certified Seafood Collective—the programme's owner—expanded its scope to open CSI certification to wild-capture fisheries worldwide, carrying over intact RFM’s people, standards, and 15 years of certification experience, with 10 certified fisheries and 3 million metric tonnes.

Some of the currently certified fisheries are Alaska cod, Alaska salmon and US Gulf Shrimp.

The programme is currently testing fisheries in New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Norway, and Denmark.

The change comes at a time when consumers have a growing interest in trusted logos to guide their choices. A survey commissioned by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute across six major non-US markets—France, Germany, Japan, UK, Brazil and SE Asia—found that between 80% and 97% of seafood consumers say an ecolabel influences their purchase decision. Notably, when rated on importance, CSI and MSC score almost identically—68% and 66% respectively—suggesting that consumers’ appetite for credible certification extends well beyond any single programme.

From fishery to shelf

CSI certification covers the full wild-capture seafood supply chain, from fishery to consumer.

At fishery level, it certifies wild-capture fisheries against the CSI Fishery Standard with mandatory certificate sharing across all participants in that fishery. Fishery certification is valid for five years with annual surveillance audits in between.

The rest of the supply chain is covered by the Chain of Custody (CoC) standard. From the moment the fish leaves the certified fishery, every business that takes ownership of it—processors, packers, distributors—and wants to pass the certified claim forward needs CoC. CoC certification is valid for three years, also with annual surveillance audits. No conditional certifications are awarded.

The original CoC standard was first developed by Iceland Responsible Fisheries Management programme and then adopted cooperatively by the Alaska RFM programme in 2011. The current "Unified" version reflects that shared history.

Certified companies throughout the supply chain can display the CSI ecolabel or claim — in B2B communications, sourcing policies, and on consumer-facing packaging.

Built on standards the industry already trusts

CSI certification is built on internationally recognised foundations.

• GSSI (Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative) benchmark: GSSI is the industry's gold standard for evaluating seafood certification programmes. GSSI recognition is part of the sourcing policies of the world's largest retailers and seafood companies. RFM had been GSSI-benchmarked since 2016. This accreditation has carried over intact to CSI.
• UN FAO: The CSI fishery standard is based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and FAO Ecolabelling Guidelines. These are internationally agreed guidelines, stable and not subject to arbitrary change.

Add CSI to your portfolio through NSF

NSF is an independent, ISO 17065-accredited certification body. We deliver CSI certification at every stage of the supply chain—fisheries, processors, distributors, retailers and food-service operators—covering both fishery standard and Chain of Custody certification, with DNA testing to verify species integrity from source to shelf.

If you already hold MSC or other certifications, CSI explicitly supports dual certification. Adding CSI to an existing certification portfolio is a cost-effective option—no duplicated audit effort, greater sourcing flexibility, without having to choose between programmes.