Saving Seafood

The MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund now open for applications

September 17, 2021 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Now in its third year, the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Ocean Stewardship Fund is open to applications for 2022, offering over £1 million in grants dedicated to support sustainable fishing worldwide. The MSC invites fisheries, scientists, NGOs, and postgraduate students to apply for grants of up to £50,000 each, available across four different strands of funding.

This year, the MSC particularly welcomes research proposals related to habitat impacts and interactions with endangered, threatened or protected (ETP) species. With only around 20% of the seabed currently mapped by scientists [1], it can be hard for fisheries to demonstrate that they are successful in protecting ecosystems. By funding innovative research in this area, the MSC seeks to drive fishery improvements that better protect ocean biodiversity.
To date, the MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund has awarded 35 grants totalling £1.3 million and is currently supporting 24 active projects around the world. Previously funded projects have already helped fisheries improve their sustainability – from mapping the Greenland seabed to avoid vulnerable marine species, to developing smartphone apps that help fishers better identify ETP species in the North Sea.
Through this Fund, the MSC has committed 5% of royalties, earned from the sale of products carrying the MSC ‘blue fish’ label, to support fisheries at all stages on their pathway to sustainability. It is hoped that the impact of these projects will contribute to the delivery of the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water.

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive at the Marine Stewardship Council said:“Our oceans are under enormous pressure. Supporting the efforts of fisheries, scientists and conservationists who are striving to make progress in sustainable fishing is more important than ever. MSC’s Ocean Stewardship Fund provides such support directly to credible projects and initiatives that deliver real improvements in the way our oceans are being fished and importantly, that help fisheries around the world to progress on their pathway to sustainability.
‘Projects funded by the Ocean Stewardship Fund are also helping to deliver the ambitious targets set by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and to encourage collaboration between fisheries and scientists and other stakeholders who care as passionately as we do about the health of our oceans and the security of seafood supplies for this and future generations”
To find out more information about the grants available for 2022, and the deadlines for application visit: msc.org/oceanstewardshipfund

Poll shows Americans want local seafood, including aquaculture, with stronger environmental and consumer protections

August 16, 2021 — A new poll released by Environmental Defense Fund indicates U.S. voters are open to consuming more home-grown seafood that adheres to strong consumer and environmental standards for American aquaculture.

The poll found 84 percent of voters support a proposal that “would first examine the risks and opportunities of fish farming (also known as aquaculture) in U.S. federal waters before setting high standards and regulation for safe and sustainable aquaculture.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative Welcomes Asiservy to its Global Partnership

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative is pleased to announce that Asiservy has joined GSSI as a Funding Partner. Asiservy is GSSI’s first Ecuadorian Partner to join the Global Partnership.

Asiservy is an expanding family business with 23 years of experience in the seafood market. A leader in the processing and commercialization of seafood products in Ecuador; Asiservy began operations with the processing of tuna for the local market, today they export a wide variety of products to more than 31 countries around the world. Their expertise and knowledge in seafood processing and marketing makes them a highly valuable advisor for seafood products with superior quality standards.

“Asiservy is a company with a fundamental principle: the sustainability of the tuna fishing industry. We are confident that the only way to prevent damages to ocean life and to preserve it for future generations, is to handle responsible operations and to take a stand against illegal fishing and other practices that threaten the preservation of natural resources. For Asiservy Group, it is highly significant to be part of such a prestigious alliance with GSSI, which fully aligns with our long-term strategic objectives.” – Gustavo Núñez Márquez, Asiservy President

Read the full release here

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative is Open for Steering Board Member Applications

August 11, 2021 — The following was released by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative:

GSSI is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted, from all of those who are eligible, to join the GSSI Steering Board. Applications are welcome from August 11, 2021 – September 30, 2021.

About the Role

The GSSI Steering Board represent a diverse cross-section of the seafood industry and is comprised of members from the full seafood value chain, companies, NGO’s, governments, and international organizations. The Steering Board is intended to constitute a fair representation of the diversity in role, geography and key stakeholders of the global seafood industry. Being a member of the Steering Board is voluntary. The initial term will be for a period of three years, with the possibility of reappointment. New Board members will be appointed in November with the official inaugural meeting in Q1 of 2022.

Responsibilities
The Board is responsible, with the support of the Secretariat, for the general management and performance of GSSI through the delivery of GSSI’s vision and mission, governance, strategic direction, operational oversight, and financial stability. Board meetings take place two times per year, of which at least one meeting in person. We are looking for engaged partners that provide strong leadership for GSSI’s future development and long-term organizational sustainability. Members are expected to support GSSI programming and promote GSSI among their stakeholders.

Current Steering Board Members

  • Bill DiMento – High Liner Foods Inc.
  • Hugo Byrnes – Ahold Delhaize
  • Dr. Jason Clay – WWF
  • Flavio Corsin – IDH
  • Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly – Monterey Bay Aquariam
  • Lisa Goché – Grobest Global Services Inc
  • Peter Hajipieris – Regal Springs
  • Wakao Hanaoka – Seafood Legacy
  • Dr Audun Lem – FAO
  • Darian McBain – Thai Union
  • Angel Metemoro Irago – Nueva Pescanova Group
  • Judy Panayos – Sodexo
  • Elisabeth Vallet – Ethic Ocean
  • Christian von Dorrien – Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries Thünen Institute
  • Andrea K. Weber – METRO AG
  • John Garner – Trident Seafoods
  • Annika Mackensen – GIZ

Read the full release here

Everything you need to know about sustainable seafood

August 5, 2021 — From deck to dock to dinner table, it is easier than ever to source fresh seafood that’s traceable, trusted and encourages a healthier food system.

“Good Morning America” reeled in expert advice from marine scientists, founders of national fishery networks and an environmental impact food blogger to take a deep dive into what consumers need to know about the eco-friendly seafood system.

What is sustainable seafood?

“In the most basic terms, sustainable seafood means seafood that’s caught at a rate that allows the population to continue to replenish,” Emily De Sousa, a food and travel blogger, told “GMA.”

De Sousa, a fisheries scientist, said her family immigrated from the coastal islands off Portugal where there is a rich history in small-scale and locally supported fishing. De Sousa created Seaside with Emily, a coastal-focused blog that shares her research on sustainability of global fisheries, educates consumers and makes it easy to eat seafood in a sustainable way.

Sustainable seafood should consider the impacts of how harvesting affects its surrounding marine environment, De Sousa said, explaining that means “using minimally destructive gear types and implementing strategies that limit interference with other wildlife.”

Read the full story at ABC News

ThisFish: Pandemic creates “new normal” for digitization

July 30, 2021 — The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for a digital transformation in seafood, according to ThisFish Inc. Co-Founder and CEO Eric Enno Tamm.

The seafood industry is lagging behind other industries in its embrace of digitization and move toward greater transparency in supply chains, Tamm said, and it must embrace the opportunity provided by the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic to reorganize itself.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US fresh, frozen seafood sales hold gains through first half of 2021

July 28, 2021 — U.S. retailers continued to experience strong sales of fresh and frozen seafood in the first half of 2021, 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink said she expects continued strong growth through the rest of the year.

“Yes, people are going out to restaurants and take-out continues to be strong, but they are still buying more fresh and frozen seafood,” Roerink said at the 28 July Seafood in U.S. Retail webinar, sponsored by animal health company Elanco. “There is a lot less concern [about COVID-19], so there are a lot more people coming into the store and spending more time shopping [and] browsing for new ideas and new recipes.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ROSAMOND NAYLOR: Making blue foods central to global food systems

July 19, 2021 — A friend used to tell me “something’s a-fish” when things were off kilter. Today, the global food system is not just “a-fish”; it’s failing billions of people.

Hunger, malnutrition and obesity coexist in rich and poor countries alike, often in the same town or even in the same home. Diabetes, heart disease, coastal dead zones and other social burdens connected to our food system continue to rise. In recognition of this urgent challenge, the United Nations will hold a global summit in September for government, business, nonprofit organizations and civil society leaders to map a more sustainable, healthy and equitable food system.

Transforming our food system will require a new mind-set and more careful consideration of blue foods — aquatic animals, plants and algae cultivated and captured in freshwater and marine environments.

Until now, the movement to build productive and sustainable food systems has focused on transforming land-based crops and livestock, largely overlooking the critical role that fish and other aquatic foods play in nutrition, livelihoods and ecosystems around the world. That role will increase as food production becomes increasingly vulnerable to climate change.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

This robot fish makes seafood more sustainable

July 7, 2021 — Liane Thompson and her husband and business partner, Simeon Pieterkosky, were well ahead of the blue economy curve when they founded Aquaai in 2014. Simeon’s work was in robotics and climate change, but his daughter had the vision for their company’s priority.

“I met Simeon while I was working as a journalist in the Middle East, and he had made a promise to his child to save the seas,” Thompson explainsed. “After his daughter learned of the ocean crisis at school, she came home and said, ‘Dad, enough with the land-based robots. Can you please make a robot to save the seas and help the planet?’”

Thompson, CEO at Aquaai, believes that turning their attention to the oceans and a commitment to sustainability and affordability has shaped what they do.

“Our long-term vision is to help keep humanity alive through sustainable and environmentally friendly practices by combining risk management with biomimicry,” she said.

Aquaai makes biomimetic robotic fish, autonomous underwater vehicles that are selective laser sintering (SLS) 3-D printed and can be deployed by a single person to monitor aquaculture fisheries and other underwater industries. The device’s small size and the way it “swims” allows it to get close to the sources it is monitoring to gather data, images and footage. These are then delivered to a web dashboard for clients.

Read the full story at GreenBiz

A sustainable ocean economy is achievable, new paper finds, but barriers are high

June 18, 2021 — A paper published in Nature Communications, “Financing a sustainable ocean economy,” was among a long list of articles, announcements, and pledges that appeared on 8 June, commemorating World Oceans Day.

The paper’s authors, a group of international economists and ocean policy experts, found that public and private investment lags far behind that needed to ensure a thriving, resilient, and sustainable ocean economy.

Read the full story at Seafood Source