The tuna industry provides job security for hundreds of thousands of people and contributes to the food security of millions more. An inter-connected network of people make up the sector and span the world. In places like Ecuador, the people who harvest fish work side-by-side with those who collect data about it, and those who work at the port in Guayaquil rely on the people who process fish landed there. When these groups work together, they can accomplish great things, including long-term environmental sustainability.
The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST)—a major industry forum involving more than five hundred leading companies worldwide from across the seafood supply chain—released on Monday, March 16th the first-ever global standards for tracking seafood products from point of origin to point of sale.
These newly released Standards and Guidelines for Interoperable Seafood Traceability Systems, v1.0 are a critical step forward in the fight against illegal fishing and unethical labor practices and are game-changing for an industry under increasing pressure to demonstrate its compliance with high standards for ethical sourcing.
The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina is one of the properties in Hyatt’s global portfolio that sets the bar high when it comes to the procurement of more sustainable, responsible seafood. Not only does the hotel work to actively raise awareness among their guests about the responsible choices that can help protect marine ecosystems, they have also built a strong partnership with a local Maryland seafood supplier, J.J. McDonnell, who also keeps sustainability top of mind and assists the property in sourcing continually more seafood coming from MSC certified fisheries and ASC certified farms.
Leading global foodservice distributor Sysco Corporation recently announced in its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report strong progress towards achieving its 2020 seafood sustainability goals.
At the close of 2018, Sysco’s suppliers shared that the company had achieved 93% of its 2020 goal to source 100% of its top 15 wild-caught Sysco Portico Brand seafood products from fisheries that are either MSC-certified, in MSC full assessment, or engaged in a comprehensive Fishery Improvement Project (FIP).
For a country like Japan that boasts one the largest seafood consumption footprints in the world, promoting the sustainability of the seafood industry is critical to the health of the oceans and those who depend on them for their livelihood.
On November 14th, WWF-Japan hosted its first Sustainable Seafood Hotel Roundtable to better understand how the hospitality industry can come together pre-competitively to support a more sustainable and responsible seafood availability in the country.
Over the past three years, WWF has helped lead the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) to help establish the first-ever comprehensive industry standards for seafood traceability. With more than five dozen companies from around the world and across seafood supply chains sitting at the table, the GDST is drafting standards that will dramatically improve the efficiency, reliability, and affordability of tracking seafood, helping businesses obtain and share the information they need about the origins of seafood products. That will lead to more transparent and reliable seafood supply chains, as consumers increasingly demand and as governments increasingly require.
Are you a FisheryProgress subscriber who follows fishery improvement project (FIP)? Can’t wait to see how your favorite FIPs are coming along? If so, you’re in luck! If so, you will soon receive the latest updates directly to your inbox. Starting October 31st, users following FIPs listed on FisheryProgress will receive monthly emails highlighting major changes in those FIPs.
Despite the acute political situation in 2018, which left Nicaragua on its knees both socially and economically, the resilient fishing communities together with the government continued to prioritize the preservation of the spiny lobster, and to drive it towards Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification with the active support of WWF and its corporate partners in the US.
With an average annual catch of 50,000 metric tons and more than 4,200 fishers, Mahi-Mahi is one of Peru’s most important artisanal fisheries. WWF and its partners have been supporting this Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) since 2013.
This video takes us on a tour inside capacity-building workshops in La Tortuga, La Islilla, and San Jose, where fishing cooperatives, which recently received Mahi-Mahi fishing permits, are being trained on the use of a smart application for documenting landings using mobile phones.
Do you know what seafood you are serving at your restaurant? Can you accurately tell apart the species displayed at your supermarket? Are you certain there are no at-risk fish or crustaceans in your supply chain? Think twice, before sourcing certain types of seafood. They might be one or more of the 400 endangered marine species linked to human consumption.
Several endangered marine species continue to make their way to the global market. With fragmented and weakly regulated supply chains and the near impossibility to identify species once processed, seafood buyers are faced with the daunting task of accurately selecting and responsibly sourcing their products. Fortunately, WWF has developed a simplified and practical guide identifying endangered species most commonly found in seafood supply chains and offering recommendations to help companies make informed choices in procuring seafood.
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