Why Choose MRAG

MRAG Americas MSC Qualifications and Policies

Certifying Fisheries and Chain of Custody for a Sustainable Future

MRAG Americas Qualifications

MRAG is uniquely qualified for conducting fishery assessments against the MSC standards. Rather than a certification company that must add fishery expertise, MRAG is a full service natural resources consulting company that does fishery certifications. Our staff of scientists and specialists has expertise in stock assessment, ecosystem-based management, and fishery management. We can draw from our own staff to provide members of assessment teams or bring in specialists from our wide network of top-level scientists. Our scientists have participated in numerous MSC certifications, have provided analyses of fisheries in support of the MSC process, and have conducted strategic analyses for the MSC.

MRAG Americas Policies

As a full service fishery consulting company, MRAG recognizes the potential for conflicts of interest between our consulting work and our certification work. We have established a rigorous policy, approved during our accreditation, that completely separates consultancy from certification for any fishery. MRAG will not provide both certification and consultancy services to a fishery within a two year period. Internal and external review of our work will assure that we do not inadvertently enter into a conflict of interest.

It is the policy of MRAG Americas to ensure that its operations are consistent with defined standards, criteria, and procedures to maintain the highest appropriate levels of quality. To this end, MRAG Americas operates in accordance with a Quality Management Plan (QMP) that defines such standards, and provides the basis for quality improvement. The Quality Management System described in the Plan applies to all areas of fishery and chain of custody certifications performed under the MSC process, and includes consideration of the needs and expectations of the our customers and stakeholders.

Quality Control (QC), Quality Assurance (QA), and Quality Improvement activities related to the collection, analysis, storage and use of fisheries and chain of custody data are prescribed in the Department’s Quality Management Plan (QMP. These activities, responsive to the criteria in the ANSI/ASQC – E4 and ISO 14001: 2002 standards, are necessary to ensure that certifications made by MRAG Americas are based on data management methods and practices that meet or exceed relevant quality standards.

 Specifically, it is the policy of MRAG Americas to ensure that:

  • Management provides the resources necessary to develop, implement, maintain, and improve the QMP; and regularly reviews the performance of the QMP for effectiveness in supporting the stated mission of MSC certifications;
  • MSC certifications meet documented standards for accuracy, precision, representation, comparability, and suitability to their intended purposes;
  • MSC certifications are verifiable and defensible, and all components related to their generation are properly documented;
  • Data integrity is maintained and documented, including chain-of-custody and archival control;
  • Quality audits of QMP elements are carried out on a scheduled and documented basis, as are any required corrective actions;
  • Managers, supervisors, and staff throughout MRAG Americas, and its contractors, understand their roles in managing quality; receive the training necessary to meet quality standards for job tasks; and are encouraged to identify and suggest improvements to be made to the QMP.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Robert Trumble
Vice President
MRAG Americas, Inc. Southeast Office
10051 5th Street North, Suite 105
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
(727) 563-9070
certification(at)mragamericas.com

Customer License Code MSCI0408