Executives at Walmart, the world's largest retailer, announced Friday the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute-backed (ASMI) Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) program is an acceptable third-party certification standard, allowing the retailer to continue stocking Alaska seafood in accordance with its sustainable sourcing criteria.

In 2011, the retail giant announced it would only purchase Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified seafood or seafood certified under equivalent third-party standards. In early 2012, a number of Alaska processors dropped the MSC program and threw their support behind the newly-developed RFM program, complaining that the MSC was attempting to corner the market on sustainable seafood sourcing.

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