SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Seafoodnews.com] โ June 17, 2013 โ A new NGO/industry push called called 50 in 10 has real promise . In cooperation with the World Bank, and coming out of the World Bank meeting on fisheries in 2012, a group of major funders, NGO's, and industry is focusing on moving fisheries sustainability into the 21st century.
For years, there has been a criticism of the NGO fisheries sustainability community refusal to acknowledge success. Instead, too many NGO's are focusing on whether Alaska's fisheries simply very well managed, or nearly perfectly managed. As more fisheries have demonstrated real sustainabiliy, many were dismayed to see some NGO's, particularly in their buyer advice, concentrating their efforts on moving the needle from 90% to 95% โ ie chasing perfection, rather than broadening their horizons to address more serious sustainability problems.
That focus may be changing, due to a push from funders and some NGO's. The new group 50 in 10, aims to bring 50% of the world's fisherines into sustainable balance within ten years.
The funders include the Walton Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Conservation International, the MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank.
In addition to members of the Steering Committee, the following organizations are engaged in formative conversations: Packard Foundation, Oak Foundation, Hernandez Foundation, International Sustainable Seafood Foundation, National Fisheries Institute, Marine Stewardship Council, Darden, Safeway, Costco, Phillips Seafood, Highliner Foods, Whole Foods, Carrefour, Trident, Ajinomoto, Aeon, Nichirei, and Nissui. The group hopes to include the PNA tuna fisheries, South American fisheries, devleopment banks, and African and Asian partners.
In their announcement, the group said recent research 'enables us to segment fisheries and outline a roadmap to that goal'. This is the same thinking advocated by Ray Hilborn: creating sustainable fisheries is not rocket science. It simply requires an effective management system.
"Achieving this 10-year target will require coherent and sustained action, amongst fishers, processors, retail and food service companies, civil society organizations, investors and development banks, and government institutions," says the group.
The 50 in10 Steering Committee is reaching out to diverse stakeholders to share the design of a common framework for investment and action and for measuring collective progress towards meeting this ambitious target. "We will also agree on processes for continuous learning, communication and coordination that will help align grant making and investment both within the GPO (Global Partnership for Oceans) and more widely.
Last week, the group announced hiring Miguel Jorge as the first managing director of 50in10, a collaboration launched with the 10-year goal of bringing 50 percent of the worldโs fisheries under sustainable management, while increasing economic benefits by $20 billion annually.
โOur future depends on healthy oceans. This is a decade when we can make unprecedented strides toward sustainable management of our oceansโif we work together,โ said Juergen Voegele, Director of the Agriculture and Environmental Services Department at the World Bank, which is part of the 50in10 steering committee.
In addition to the World Bank, the steering committee to date includes representatives of the Academy for Systemic Change; ALLFISH; Conservation International; Environmental Defense Fund; the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Rare; The Nature Conservancy; the Walton Family Foundation and WWF.
A veteran of the sustainable fisheries movement, Jorge comes to 50in10 from the National Geographic Society, where he served as director of their Ocean Initiative and worked with diverse partners and stakeholders to restore fisheries, promote marine reserves and build broader support for healthy and productive oceans.
As managing director of 50in10, Jorge will work to expand the network of stakeholders supporting its goals and facilitate knowledge sharing about sustainable fisheries management. Through sustainable management, fisheries are harvested at a sustainable rate so that the fish population does not decline over time and can continue to provide food and jobs, as well as healthy fish habitat.
Jorge will also help design and support a collaborative fishery restoration program implemented by the partners around the world. By bringing together industry, researchers, governments NGOs, and financial institutions, 50in10 aims to expand localized successes by combining strategies, and rapidly replicating the most successful models.
By stepping into the role of managing director, Jorge will also become the coalitionโs first dedicated staff member, ensuring that the previously volunteer-driven effort has the leadership, structure and capacity to build on the momentum created when 36 public- and private-sector organizations convened in Vancouver, B.C., in November 2012 to develop a framework for collaboration.
โWhile weโve made a lot of progress, thereโs still a big part of the world where overfishing is a difficult problem to solve. But we have a tremendous opportunity, as well,โ said Jorge. โWhat we heard in Vancouver is that seafood companies recognize that more needs to be done, and they want to participate in solving that challenge with us.โ
Also contributing to the momentum is the participation of large multilateral organizations like the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, an independent financial organization that unites 183 countries with international institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations and the private sector to address environmental issues.
โIโm excited about what we can accomplish as 50in10 unites the often disparate approaches of policy reform, community engagement and market strategies under one coordinated effort,โ Jorge added.
Prior to National Geographic, Jorge was director of WWF-Internationalโs Marine Program, overseeing their global strategies on fisheries, seafood, shipping and high-seas policy.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.