Program

Hong Kong has diverse seafood markets that appeal to a population with a high diversity of culinary tastes. The region is also rich in fishing history and culture. Visiting a traditional wet market and the Fisheries Education Centre will provide a better understanding of the consumer appetite for seafood in Asia. Exploring the culture and history of the markets and the Aberdeen harbor will reveal local perceptions of seafood relating to ocean and human health, and local initiatives working on seafood sustainability.

Several local partners including WWF-HK, Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department HK and the Fish Marketing Organization will guide us through the Fisheries Education Centre and then into the wholesale market in Aberdeen, a typical wet market in Ap Lei Chau. After learning about the local seafood market – and whetting our appetites – we will ferry across the harbor to a delicious sustainable seafood lunch at the landmark double-story floating restaurant, Jumbo Kingdom. Then it is back to the Shangri-La, just in time for the afternoon workshops.

Appreciation is extended to the staff at WWF-HK for helping organize this field trip and to staff at the Fish Marketing Organization and the Fisheries Education Centre.

The evolution of certification programs and the certification marketplace has created new and more effective tools for addressing sustainability issues for business and the conservation community. But this growth, evolution, and expansion can also make it difficult to incorporate certification into strategic and business planning. This program will look at how individual eco-certification programs and the broader certification landscape will evolve and change in the next five years. The goal is to help users of eco-certification tools identify future needs and opportunities and how to plan for them.

The opportunities for innovation in fisheries are on the rise, yet many of the best projects never reach their full potential due to a lack of resources. The time is ripe to reframe fisheries and seafood work from a financial investment perspective, and make the case for sustainable business based on a healthier and more productive ocean to prospective investors. This workshop is designed to do just that. Fisheries can present an opportunity for investment, with real financial, social and environmental returns. We will explore the types of private investment that might be leveraged for this industry, and the need for blending different types of capital. We will distill the conditions for success through a series of case studies, focusing on the factors that are replicable or scalable. Registered participants will be offered an opportunity to submit, in advance of the meeting, project / business concepts that might benefit from capital and in breakout groups work with other participants to identify opportunities and barriers for investment to help that project move forward.

This workshop will provide participants with a basic understanding of the need for investing in ecosystem services and the opportunity for reframing their fisheries and seafood work from a financial investment perspective. Participants will explore how to position sustainable fishing or seafood business cases for prospective investors.

To see presentations from this session:

James Anderson, World Bank
Robin Davies, WWF
Cheryl Dahle, Future of Fish
Maya Spaull, Fair Trade USA
Robert Rangeley, WWF 

The Swire Group Charitable Trust, ADM Capital Foundation and SeaWeb are convening an invitation-only philanthropy forum on marine conservation.  The forum, timed to coincide with the Seafood Summit, will bring in marine conservation experts and international donors supporting this field. The objective of the philanthropy forum is to inform and update donors on current and emerging issues facing the marine environment, the role of Asia and the growing local philanthropic community, and to share experiences and knowledge in this specific area of philanthropy.

Welcoming Address

Dawn M. Martin (President, SeaWeb)

Kristian Teleki (Vice President, SeaWeb)

Opening Remarks

Mr. Zhao Xingwu (Director of the Bureau of Fisheries – Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. China)

Dr. Leung Siu-fai (Deputy Director, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department)

Keynote Speaker

Stephen Hall (Director General of WorldFish Centre)

Traditional Lion Dance by Ha Tak Kin Martial Art Society

Presentation of Seafood Champion Awards

Dawn M. Martin (President, SeaWeb)

Dr. Alan Jones (Board Member, SeaWeb)

The sustainable seafood movement has progressed at different speeds in different regions around the world. Fishing and fish farming practices are often rooted in tradition and passed down through generations of families so they are not easily changed, even in the most technologically progressive countries.  In addition, differences in government, culture and even taste can impact the significance of some issues over others. For companies that operate globally, this presents an exceptional challenge when developing and implementing sustainability policies. Business practices that may make sense and be easy to implement in one country can be costly – and even offensive – in another. Panelists will discuss their experiences – both successes and failures – as they try to navigate the process of developing a sustainability policy that must be understood, accepted and implemented halfway across the globe. The challenges of these policies then being carried out through supply chains that may also extend even further will also be examined.

To see presentations from this session:

Jon Safey (Nissui)
Alastair Dingwall (Sainsbury’s)

Fisheries can contribute to the understanding, health and management of marine resources by collecting ocean, weather and climate data, especially in the high seas. The World Ocean Council’s “Smart Ocean/Smart Industries” program is a global platform for scaling up data collection by ocean users. The fishing industry can play a significant role in collecting data that: a) contributes to describing the status, trends and variability of ocean, weather and atmosphere conditions and b) improves the understanding, modeling and forecasting of ocean ecosystems and resources. Increased data will support improvement in responsible use and management of ocean resources, particularly in poorly documented high seas. The panel will consider the ocean industry data gathering experience to date, constraints and opportunities for expanding the use of fishing vessels in data collection, and how the fishing industry can learn from and collaborate with other ocean industries in the collecting of ocean and atmospheric information.

To see presentations from this session:

Paul Holthus, Moderator (World Ocean Council)
Lori Kennedy (Louisbourg Seafoods)
George Chiu (Luen Thai Fishing Venture Ltd.) Part 1
George Chiu (Luen Thai Fishing Venture Ltd.) Part 2
François Gerlotto (University Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Peru)
Oscar Ricardo Bernales (National Fisheries Society (SNP), Peru)

With the world population surpassing 7 billion, we face urgent decisions regarding which food to produce and how to produce it. While aquaculture currently produces 13% of global food protein, at its current rate of growth, it is becoming an important component of global protein production. When the relative merits of aquaculture have been evaluated, they’ve usually been evaluated against other seafood. However, assessments of the merits or drawbacks of aquaculture may shift if they are viewed in the larger context of global protein production. How do the ecological impacts and efficiencies of aquaculture compare to beef or poultry production, for instance? Is aquaculture generally preferable to other protein sources or do its merits relative to terrestrial protein production depend heavily on the specific characteristics of species, systems, or regions? This panel also explores the information and tools needed to better inform aquaculture policy and market-related decisions.

To see the presentation of this session:

Richard Boot, Moderator (FishChoice, Inc.)
John Volpe (University of Victoria)

There is growing interest from tuna fisheries in seeking MSC certification but how does the standard and assessment process meet the particular challenges tuna fisheries face? The aim of this session will be twofold:

• review the issues that tuna fisheries face in demonstrating they are being managed sustainably

• examine these challenges through the lens of the MSC programme.

Topics:

• Challenges faced by the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) in managing the shared high seas tuna resources

• Case study – PNA’s lessons learned from the MSC certification process

• Ensuring traceability of MSC labelled tuna products

To see the presentation from this session:

Bill Holden, Moderator (Marine Stewardship Council)

Retailers around the globe have been working hard to support sustainable seafood and many of them have made public commitments to MSC. Forerunners in their regions have cumulated experience in the past years on the journey working through their marketing and supply chain. This session brings together, four major retailers in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, and North America to share their experience and lessons learnt of this journey. They will also provide insight on where the sustainable movement for retailers needs to go.

To see presentations from this session:

Hannah MacIntyre, (Marks & Spencer)
Paul Uys (Loblaw Companies Ltd.)
Jackie Healing (Coles Supermarkets)

Increasing fishing pressure on commercially important tuna species has impacted pelagic ecosystems and raised concerns regarding the health of remaining stocks. Purse seine skipjack fisheries are overcapitalized and reliant on fish aggregating devices (FADs). Although efficient, FAD fishing captures large numbers of juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna and sensitive non-target species. Reducing FAD associated impacts and fleet capacity is needed. Tuna longliners have even higher bycatch ratios, but this can be reduced through gear and set modification. Pole and line fisheries minimize bycatch, but supply is limited and baitfish management is required. Key actors can promote these improvements. Though politically constrained, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are building scientifically based regulatory frameworks. Major retailers are creating market incentives for responsibly caught tuna products and progressive suppliers are responding. NGO’s are providing public awareness, research, and stakeholder guidance. Collectively, these approaches can mitigate the ecological impacts of global tuna fisheries.

To see presentations from this session:

Eric Gilman (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, Hawaii Pacific University)
Antonio Orsini (Tri Marine)
Thomas Kraft (Norpac Fisheries Export)
Amanda Nickson (Pew Environment Group)

The United States imports 10,000 tons of spiny lobster annually worth $80 million. Nearly 1,800 Honduran divers, more than 35% of the divers that work in this fishery, have been injured from unsafe diving practices in pursuit of spiny lobster; most divers are from the Miskito Coast of Central America. Consumer demand and lack of awareness is driving the use of dive fishing that is destructive both environmentally and socially. The Spiny Lobster Initiative (SLI) works with fishers, private sector, NGOs, and governments in the region to reform lobster fishing practices to create a safe, sustainable, and profitable fishery.

To see presentations from this session:

Jennifer Barker, Moderator (Global FISH Alliance)
Jimmy Andino (Spiny Lobster Initiative)
Glenda Pena (Pesca del Atlantico, S. de R.L.)

Those not in the inner circle of policy decisions feel that policy makers are disconnected from the realities of the ‘front line’ and are not making the most informed decisions.  While at the same time, policy makers do not feel that the challenges and obstacles they face are fully appreciated by those operating outside the policy sphere. More often than not, the reality of a policy maker involves making very difficult choices that sometimes require trade-offs and concessions in order to get to a ‘better than nothing’ resolution or outcome.  With today’s unsustainable and upward trend of fish consumption and production, policy making may not get any easier going forward.

Globally, the issue of fisheries and fishing are intimately bound with national and regional economies, society and environment.  To ensure a more sustainable future for the health of the seafood sector, policy decisions will need to be made with consideration for science, trade realities and current innovations.

To help address these challenges and realities, this plenary panel will bring together global leaders from the four corners of the world for a discussion of the policy realms in which they operate. They will not only share their own personal challenges, realities, and experiences at the policy level but strategies – both local and global – for moving forward. The plenary panel will also provide some thoughts as to how we need to be collectively thinking in order to influence and move towards a more sustainable future in the seafood sector.

Sustainability can be enhanced at many points in seafood value chains and yet these are rarely discussed or acknowledged in public media that tend to reflect single issue notions of sustainability or understandings and headline This panel will take a different look at what innovations are occurring at different points in seafood value chains that have often been underreported or obscured from view. They will reflect the diversity and energy of progress towards more sustainable practices though the voices of practitioners in Asia. The panel will address different perspectives of sustainability and how fresh thinking and a business opportunity have stimulated evolution of practice through the value chain.

To see presentations from this session:

David Little (University of Stirling)
Aphichai Techanitisawad (Anusorn Mahachai Surimi)

From remote coastal communities in Sierra Leone to the Central Coast of California, new and innovative tools are being developed to improve transparency, enhance accountability, and empower individuals and communities to improve fisheries management and combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. This panel event will explore three such innovations, looking at their practical application in both developed and developing countries. E-catch is an IT tool used in California to allow fishermen to apply spatial, real-time management to their local resources, currently being adapted to a cell-phone based system for developing countries. The FishNET project capitalizes on existing and emerging network-based technologies to offer solutions enabling fishery managers and other entities to optimize fisheries’ data collection, monitoring and enforcement to deter IUU fishing and enhance the health of our oceans. EJF’s Community Surveillance Project has been working with communities in Sierra Leone to document IUU fishing and track IUU fish to the European market using camera and GPS equipment – the project has led to major enforcement operations in European ports and over half a million dollars of fisheries fines. The presentations of the projects will be followed by an audience discussion focusing on the next steps in promoting technology and innovation to combat IUU and enhance sustainable fisheries management.

To see presentations from this session:

Most of the debate about global climate change is missing the boat … and it is a very big boat. Concerns about carbon need to be more focused on our oceans, for ocean acidification is demonstrably real, it is happening now, and it is going to have massive impacts on economies, the environment, and human nutrition. The seafood industry has the moral authority – and the economic imperative – to develop and implement responses to this crisis. This panel will explore a range of novel approaches that could offer partial solutions to ocean acidification and debate the appropriate scale at which seafood production and other strategies could extract carbon from the ocean and build resilience in natural systems. From new methods of production to habitat restoration to carbon policy to incentivize solutions, panelists will explore how the seafood industry, conservation community, and independent scientists can work together to help the oceans survive the looming threat of ocean acidification.

To see presentations from this session:

Sarah Cooley (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Brad Warren (Global Ocean Health Program)
Neil Anthony Sims (Kampachi Farms, LLC)

Growing, trading and processing of aquaculture products is of social and economic importance to millions of households and small-enterprises throughout Asia, and a small but growing number in Africa. Aquaculture needs finance to grow to meet future seafood demand and in the transition to more socially and environmentally sustainable practices. However, a more socially inclusive approach to investment is required for the large numbers of small-scale aquaculture enterprises across the developing world. New WorldFish Center research suggests investment in small aquaculture enterprises can create significant positive social, environmental and economic impact. The session brings researchers, impact investors and aquaculture practitioners together to share experiences in socially inclusive business models and financing for aquaculture. The panel seeks to raise awareness of the social, economic and environmental benefits from investment in small-scale aquaculture enterprises, and share innovations on financing seafood production by this important but largely neglected group.

To see presentations from this session:

Michael Phillips, Moderator (WorldFish Center) & Malcolm Beveridge (WorldFish Center)
Esther Luiten (IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative)
Arun Padiyar (Mogalthur Aqua Farmer’s Welfare Society)

Tuna sustainability is a high-profile issue and arguably one of the most talked about seafood sustainability stories in the world. It is widely accepted that there are no “quick fixes” to overcoming the challenges that face these highly migratory species. While there have been several fisheries that have obtained eco-certification, a super majority of tuna fisheries have not, and may not be able to in the short-term, however fishery improvement projects can help industry, conservationists and consumers. This panel will discuss how improvement work fits into the approach of any group taking on tuna sustainability, and talk about the project that needs to be prioritized.

To see presentations from this session:

Robert Gillett (Gillett, Preston and Associates Inc.)
Victor Restrepo (International Sustainable Seafood Foundation)
Jesse Marsh (WWF)
Howard McElderry (Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.)

AgriMarine is the first commercial salmon farming company in floating closed containment. The AgriMarine System™ allows for farming in various aquatic environments otherwise unsuitable for rearing salmon. Chinese authorities are eager to expand domestic seafood production and willing to work with companies committed to sustainable investments in aquaculture. This presentation will cover the story behind AgriMarine in China and the process to gain authorization for new technologies as it pertains to the local and provincial governments.

To see the presentation from this session:

Phillip Fitzpatrick, Moderator (Renaissance Performance Group)

The demand for responsible aquaculture products can only be satisfied if farmed fish feed is sourced responsibly. Certified raw materials are available but are scarce in the SE Asian region and buyers can be unaware of the origins of feed ingredients. Speakers will present the feed companies perspective, FAO research into managing tropical fisheries, a supply chain project to create improvement programs co-ordinated by the Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit and certification options. Time will be provided for a question and answer session after presentations with a view to capturing ideas to progress post summit.

To see the presentations from this session:

Andrew Mallison, Moderator (International Fish Meal and Fish Oil Organization)
Duncan Leadbitter (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership)
Cui He (China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance)

The worlds of aquaculture and fisheries management rarely interact to share lessons and best practices even though they operate in the same environment. This panel will discuss the observation that the most sustainable fisheries can often resemble well-managed aquaculture operations and that the problems facing both aquaculture and fisheries typically reflect overexploitation of environmental goods and services. When aquaculture suffers setbacks it’s because problems such as pollution and disease are not properly internalised, and fisheries face catastrophe when individual operators fail to limit their externalities. The panel will consider how far area management plans can address fish farm externalities, and consider what are the similarities between Fishery Improvement Partnerships and Aquaculture Improvement Partnerships? The panel will also include a case study of a major, bottom-grown mussel fishery with strong sustainability credentials that completely blurs the distinction between fisheries and aquaculture and provides lessons for the sustainable management of both.

To see the presentations from this session:

Daniel Lee, Moderator (Global Aquaculture Alliance)
Doug Beveridge (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership)
James Anderson (Global Program on Fisheries and Aquaculture, World Bank)

Moving the Live Reef Food Fish Trade (LRRFT) toward sustainability is challenging for numerous reasons including a poor governance and regulatory environment regionally, a fragmented industry operating in remote areas, lucrative returns available to traditionally subsistence fishers, “patronage” systems between fishers and traders, persistent demand leading to escalating prices and, importantly, a lack of consumer awareness and concern – making the LRFFT a harbinger of the sustainability challenge in Southeast Asia, along the entire supply chain. Achieving sustainability outcomes requires motivated and receptive buyers providing incentives down the supply chain to committed producer groups willing to change. Each major segment of the LRFFT industry is semi-resistant to the kind of changes needed, yet the market has an important Achilles heel; it is heavily internationally traded meaning the passage of LRFFT between countries subjects the industry to a level of regulatory scrutiny it would not otherwise face. These provide opportunities to influence and drive change both via market and government regulation and policy. This session will provide an industry overview and describe a series of linked initiatives aimed at transforming this pervasive seafood trade.

To see the presentations from this session:

Dr. Geoffrey Muldoon, Moderator (WWF Coral Triangle)
Gopinath Nagaraj (Fanli Marine and Consultancy Sdn.)
Matthew Elliott (California Environmental Associates)

Marketing East/West is an area that is loaded with assumptions, misconceptions, and often dated perceptions of what is needed and/or desired in another marketplace, another culture — which is to say another way of looking at the world. In the West, CleanFish has been one of the leaders in developing a Brand that brings together a network of producers who are selected because of their stewardship practices and the principles upon which they base their operations. How does this play in the marketplace of North America? How are these same producers received in Asia?

What levels of interest exists amongst Asian producers to pursue practices that are considered more ecologically responsible by buyers in Europe and the Americas? What are the premiums that exist for considering changes to more ecologically responsible practices in Asia? How are these principles and practices related to global concerns regarding food safety, IUU fisheries, and general sustainability? How might sustainability be truly perceived by the different regions of this planet? What can the markets of East and West best learn from one another? Are different views compatible?

This panel will explore and present case studies of successes and areas that point to gaps we must learn from if the markets of East and West are to effect positive change in the resources we hold in common; and the needs that join us together for true profitability, for humanity and for market sanity as we look to our common future.

To see the presentations from this session:

Tim O’Shea, Moderator (CleanFish)
Kozo Ishii (Marine Stewardship Council)

Third party certification that promotes responsible aquaculture production is central for buyers committed to procuring sustainable seafood. However, some certification schemes have standards that are challenging for farmers to implement due to factors that are beyond their expertise or control, such as the cost of improvements, market potential, or technical challenges surrounding biodiversity standards. To better assist farmers and buyers realize solutions; a collaborative approach is needed among supply chain actors. In this panel, we will explore how an integrative approach to aquaculture improvement projects in Asia and Latin America can yield benefits for all supply chain actors.

This presentation will focus on the outcomes and lessons learned from a collaboration between Canadian environmental organizations and the British Columbia groundfish bottom trawl industry to improve habitat management. As part of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, a suite of innovative measures including trawl boundaries, individual ‘habitat bycatch conservation limits’ (the first of its kind in the world), encounter protocols, and creation of a habitat review committee came into effect in March 2012. The measures were developed outside of government and were operationalized by government through the fisheries management plan. Sustainable seafood markets provided the economic incentive for industry to engage in the collaboration. Habitat criteria from the Seafood Watch fisheries assessment methodology were used as the platform to develop an ecosystem approach to habitat management. The results of this work suggest that fisheries conservation objectives can be achieved efficiently through direct dialogue between ENGOs and industry, with support of government – an indication of a changing world.

Aquaculture is the primary component of the seafood trade which makes up the largest traded food group in the world.   More than all grains, banana, cocoa, and rice combined. Aquaculture products are  also the primary source of protein for one fifth of the world’s population, mainly in the developing world.  This is extremely important for food security because the world’s population is expected to grow from 6.8 to 9.2 billion in 2050, causing the demand for food to increase 110%.  This will result in a huge demand…an opportunity… for aquaculture products. However, there are serious food safety concerns with aquacultured products. These concerns include the presence of  unsafe residues, pathogens, and the potential to contribute to  antimicrobial resistance. When food safety problems are found there are a range of negative impacts on trade. This talk will describe the U.S. FDA’s import process, Import Alerts and  FSMA in an effort to better understand how to reduce trade problems for those countries that export seafood to the U.S.

To see the presentation from this session:

Brett Koonse (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

With more than 200,000 tons of seafood consumed annually, Singapore and Malaysia are major seafood consumer nations in Asia Pacific. This high consumption stems from rising incomes and an expanding middle class, leading to demand for high-quality and high-value seafood products. To safeguard the future of fisheries and marine resources in the Coral Triangle, WWF Singapore and WWF Malaysia respectively launched Sustainable Seafood Campaigns in 2010 to educate and encourage consumers and businesses to make responsible seafood choices from both wild-caught and farmed sources. These two presentations will provide an overview of the respective campaigns, highlight differences and commonalities in facing challenges, and discuss possible solutions in promoting sustainable seafood along the supply chain.

To see the presentation from this session:

Chitra Devi Gopalakrishnan, Moderator (WWF Malaysia) & Sarah Ong (WWF)

Innovation is critical to resolving the social, environmental and economic challenges of aquaculture, and thereby moving the industry towards ever more sustainable practices. Increasingly, the Asian aquaculture industry is embracing a range of innovative approaches including: sinking seacages in China, recycling pond water systems in Thai shrimp farms; Indian community shrimp farm agreements; DNA-based traceability in Malaysian tilapia; large-scale mariculture parks; national broodstock centers; and seaweed culture. Do these types of innovations represent untapped potential for sustainability? How might such advancements address existing and emerging issues? How and where might aquaculture innovations be adapted, transferred, and/or scaled to improve the sustainability of the aquaculture industry in other areas and/or species? What are the priority areas for innovation and for increasing its uptake across the industry?

To see the presentation from this session:

Matt Thompson, Moderator (New England Aquarium)

As the global center for the trade and distribution of shark fins, Hong Kong is uniquely poised to influence international attitudes and industry behavior. Mounting ecological, social and political pressure has and will continue to influence both the Hong Kong and international shark fin market as conservation efforts continue to develop. Shifting cultural values and consumer preferences toward shark products are driving much of the change within the market. Increasingly, retailers, restaurants and hotels are removing shark fin soup from the menu to align with the growing environmental consciousness and political commitments. This paradigm shift reflects the increasingly influential and active role of industry in shark conservation. Looking at Hong Kong as a case study, NGOs and industry can apply similar strategies and lessons learned to both continue and replicate this trend in other countries.

To see the presentations from this session:

Stan Shea (BLOOM)
Sonja Fordham (Shark Advocates International)
Leung Lak Kee Ricky (Heep Tung Hong)

Illegal salmon fisheries are a notorious problem that threaten the health and abundance of wild Pacific salmon fisheries from the Columbia River to the Kamchatka Peninsula. Estimates suggest that illegal salmon fisheries in Russia alone represent anywhere from 20% to more double the legal harvest; wild salmon fisheries cannot sustain such extreme harvest rates indefinitely. This panel will look at emerging tools, technologies and partnerships being employed by fishermen, seafood industry, and conservationists to verify the legality of salmon fisheries and combat salmon poaching throughout the seafood supply chain. The panel will review some of issues surrounding illegal salmon fisheries as well as developing initiatives to strengthen compliance and enforcement including independent observers, satellite monitoring, private anti-poaching brigades, public monitors, and traceability mechanisms.

To see the presentations from this session:

Olga Gershenson (ScanEx Research and Development Center)
Lieutenant David Anderson (Oregon State Police)

The market-driven strategy of persuading retailers to change their fish purchasing decisions to more sustainable choices has achieved significant progress in the last 10 years. However, change often gets “stuck” at the level of the middleman, where powerful economic and cultural incentives to conduct business-as-usual remain. Future of Fish, a nonprofit business accelerator, has spent 20 months convening and supporting middle-of-chain players who are leading sustainability by changing the competitive landscape of the seafood industry. Come hear their stories to get a better understanding of how holistic, empathetically designed initiatives can shift the system faster.

To see the presentation from this session:

Cheryl Dahle, Moderator (Future of Fish)

The increasing dominance of SE Asian buyers in the global seafood market represents an unusual opportunity for the sustainable seafood movement to influence the emerging sector. However activity in this region is currently minimal, and increasing demand for sustainable seafood in these markets may add further pressure to existing NGO-business partnership already struggling to fulfill sustainable sourcing commitments. The panel will discuss information needs, the role (if any) of “traditional” NGO activities, and propose solutions that maximize the sustainable development of these emerging markets.

To see the presentations from this session:

Peter Redmayne, Moderator, (Sea Fare Group)
Han Han (Chinese Tilapia Aquaculture Improvement Project)
Yoko Tamura (Independent fisheries consultant)
Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly (Seafood Watch, Monterey Bay Aquarium)

Despite long-standing global concerns on declining shark populations, and in particular a paucity of effective fisheries management for sharks, shark populations continue to decline in many oceans of the world. While many shark fisheries remain poorly managed, the first MSC fishery for sharks (spiny dogfish in British Columbia) was certified in 2011, showing that intrinsic difficulties in sustainably fishing sharks can be overcome, at least for some species.

Within the Asia-Pacific region, the development of sustainable fisheries for sharks can seem a distant prospect. Some nations like Palau and the Maldives have simply banned shark fishing in their waters. This workshop aims to highlight challenges to the development of sustainable fisheries for sharks, as well as an array of potential solutions. It will include experience sharing from well-managed shark fisheries, and is intended to provoke an informative and stimulating discussion amongst fisheries managers, the seafood industry and concern groups and accelerate the implementation of measures to conserve sharks, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

To see the presentations from this session:

Andy Cornish, Organizer (WWF Hong Kong)
Nadia Bouffard (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada)
Jimmy Martinez (Government of Ecuador)

The need to improve the sustainability of the aquaculture sector has led to a range of improvement initiatives from private and public sector stakeholders. However, the largest proportion of aquaculture production still faces huge sustainability challenges. The journey in transforming the aquaculture sector towards sustainability is really starting now. Taking into account the challenges ahead, this interactive workshop brings together practical experiences in transitioning farmers towards more sustainable production and capitalizes on collective learning. Often market links are used to drive the implementation of sustainable practices, e.g. through certification. Some initiatives strictly focused on improving farming practices among producers have also experienced considerable success. The workshop will start with an overview of field-work experiences, summarizing barriers and challenges. Through a value chain role-play involving stakeholders ranging from farmers to retailers, strategies will be explored to speed up the process contributing to true social and environmental impact and good business.

Chefs are a major influence on today’s consumer and have the power to sway global purchasing power for sustainable seafood choices.
Everyday, chefs work on the front line of the sustainable seafood movement making decisions which, although always important, have never been so complex. And while they increasingly recognize the importance of changing their seafood choices, chefs still have many questions about how to implement this change.
This panel will give a voice to those influential and creative chefs who work around the world in seafood. Distinguished chefs will present their views on what sustainable seafood means to them, why they have joined the movement and how they are changing their purchasing behaviour. They will provide insight into challenges and possible solutions moving forward. These chefs will help lay the sustainable seafood path for other chefs to follow and share what it truly means to feed their customers good quality, nutritious and sustainable seafood.

This session, targeted at fishers, environmental managers, and seafood certification bodies, will demonstrate the potential for fishers to contribute to sustainable fisheries. Many fish stocks are data-poor with even certified fisheries suffering from some lack of confidence in supporting data. We know little about the impact of fisheries on non-commercial species and are not monitoring the impacts of marine temperature change very closely. National administrations are often unable to create the data gathering capacity needed to underpin governance. A number of initiatives around the world are showing how fishers can collect this valuable data, improve our understanding of the dynamics of the marine environment and bridge the market disconnect that results in little demand for some fish species and correspondingly high levels of discarding.

To see the presentations from this session:

Phil MacMullen, Moderator (Seafish)
Michael Harte (WWF Australia)
Alastair Dingwall (Sainsbury’s)
Steven Mackinson (CEFAS Laboratory, UK)

Hong Kong has a massive appetite for seafood and one of the highest per capita seafood consumption rates globally. This demand involves a very high diversity of invertebrate and fish species, some of which are threatened and many poorly described, that are today sourced from more than half the countries on Earth. The city’s low self-sufficiency for aquatic products makes it heavily dependent on imports. Massive trade and demand centres like Hong Kong can play an important role in moving towards more responsible sourcing and trade practices and through the adoption of responsible consumption patterns. We trace the temporal and spatial trends in global seafood trade by Hong Kong over two decades and with particular emphasis on the live reef food fish trade, Napoleon wrasse, CITES and trade monitoring and enforcement.

To see the presentation from this session:

Yvonne Sadovy (The University of Hong Kong) & Felix Chan (The University of Hong Kong)

Using the SCALE methodology for social change, Global FISH Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, and James Cook University unified stakeholders in Pemba, Mozambique to reform local fisheries management. Through perceptions surveying of fishers and authorities the team learned of unsustainable fishing practices and local interpretations of conservation measures.

Results are being used to develop a co-management plan that stakeholders collaboratively buy into ensuring locally appropriate fisheries management measures. Through the SCALE process, improved social capital and connectedness of fishers, government officials, traditional leaders, and local NGOs have created a willing environment to reform fishing practices while preserving fish stocks and livelihoods.

To see the presentations from this session:

Jennifer Barker (Global FISH Alliance)
Isabel Ferreira (Pemba Bay Initiative)

In January 2012 the free school skipjack tuna fisheries of the eight Pacific PNA countries were certified by the MSC as sustainable. This certification is part of a total innovative and forward thinking process by the world largest tuna resource owners – the eight PNA Pacific island nations – to not only assure their valuable tuna resource is caught and managed in a sustainable manner, but also that this tuna is caught and processed in a socially responsible way. The PNA countries created the global marketing company Pacifical to process, distribute and market in close partnership with all supply chain partner to end-users all over the world. In most major global tuna markets alliances with leading retailers, food service providers and food processors have been created to market tuna not just be creating environmental change but also social and economic benefits from their resources for the local people, the resource owners themselves.

Tonle Sap Lake’s biodiversity underpins the livelihoods of one-quarter of the Cambodian population (about 2.9 million people) and supplies up to 70% of their protein. Heavy fishing pressure and deforestation have reduced fish catch thus reducing food security in Cambodia.

The Global FISH Alliance, Adephi Consulting, and WorldFish Center partnered to mobilize the Tonle Sap fishery system around creating common goals and actions to improve fisheries management around Tonle Sap. Outcomes include consultations for establishment of conservation areas, trainings in alternative sources of nutrition, and improved collaboration between communities, government, and NGOs to improve food security and fisheries.

To see the presentations from this session:

Jennifer Barker, (Global FISH Alliance)
Om Savath (Fisheries Action Coalition Team)

Learn how technology and hyperlocal logistics can be utilized to improve consumer access to local, sustainably-harvested seafood in the Bay Area. Liv Wu, Executive Chef at Google in Mountain View, and Martin Reed, Founder of i love blue sea, discuss their experiences working directly with Northern California fishermen to bring their fresh catch directly into the hands of Google employees and Bay Area residents. Together they are working to create a standardized process for allowing local producers and consumers to transact. They aim to ensure fishermen receive higher compensation for their catch and that consumers receive the freshest seafood with the greatest convenience.

To see the presentation from this session:

Olivia Wu (Google)

Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing is often highlighted as one of the greatest barriers to achieving sustainable fisheries globally, and IUU fish cause a variety of risks for seafood businesses. This workshop will include: 1) presentation of a recent white paper on seafood traceability; 2) speakers highlighting examples of combating IUU fishing via enforcement, industry initiatives, and policy; and 3) small group discussions on ways the industry and other stakeholders can advance current work and create novel solutions, and report-outs on the action plans created. The workshop is designed to build upon the content of the other traceability panels at the Summit, and to be the start of a long-term collaboration.

To see the presentations from this session:

Russell F. Smith, III (NOAA)
Steve Trent (Environmental Justice Foundation)
Scott Fraser (Norpac Fisheries Export)

Live reef food fish (LRFF) fishing is one of the most important livelihoods for the coastal and small island communities within Indonesian Archipelago. However, LRFF fishing and trade has been considered a threat to the reef ecosystem due to over-fishing and the use of cyanide as a method of increasing the LRFF catch. This session examines the effectiveness of a development and conservation project aiming at protecting, rehabilitating, and sustaining the utilization of coral reefs and their associated ecosystems in Indonesia. In this session, it is expected that various initiatives are examined in order to answer the main research question, “What hinder the achievement of the goals of conservation and development projects related to LRFF trade?” This session seeks inputs from researches that have been carried out and the on going research on the broad issue of conservation and development related to LRFF trade in Indonesia.

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Irendra Radjawali, Moderator (University of Bremen)

The past few years have seen massive changes in some of the main markets of tinned tuna in terms of rejection of unsustainable tuna products and a shift to sustainable tuna such as those caught by pole and line and FAD free purse seine fishing. This has created a whirlwind of activity by coastal states in the Pacific and Indian Oceans to ensure the long-term sustainability of the resources and to increased economic benefits. Innovative tactics such as the closure of large areas know as the Pacific Commons to purse seine fishing have been employed creating ground-breaking marine conservation momentum. The role of industry to embrace the markets momentum is crucial and support from all players of the supply chain for expanding the solutions is needed next to ensure a through global regime change in tuna fisheries.

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Hussain Hassan (Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture in the Maldives)
Joe Hamby (Tri Marine International)
Hannah Parris (Australian National University)

Research shows the majority of consumers report a growing interest in seafood sustainability issues and support certified sustainable seafood. However, when it comes to shopping the majority of consumers make choices based on other criteria. Recent joint marketing efforts by the MSC and retailers demonstrate that if consumers’ good intentions are encouraged, sustainability could face a real breakthrough.

The MSC together with retail and brand thought-leaders will present up-to-date consumer research and examine the challenges and opportunities in engaging consumers:

• the relationship between consumers and sustainability,
• what we can expect going forward,
• lessons learnt from shopper behavior, and
• the commercial arguments for supporting a sustainable lifestyle.

Seafood consumption in Hong Kong is huge, ranking second in Asia and eleventh in the world in 2007. With this huge demand, it is crucial to raise the awareness on the importance of careful selection of seafood in order to slow down the deterioration of our marine ecosystem. Collaborated with Ocean Park, Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong has launched a sustainable seafood public engagement campaign since April 2011. The on-going campaign collected over 20,000 pledges for not consuming shark fin, humphead wrasse and bluefin tuna. The pledgers have been tracked by the Foundation through email for their fulfillment.

To see the presentations from this session:

Timothy Sau-kin Ng (Ocean Park Conservation Foundation)

For the last four years, high mortality has affected “Crassostrea gigas” oyster spat in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In response, French coastal oyster producers have formed an association, “Traditional Oyster Farmer.” The mortality of young oysters is not inevitable and, after initial work, they conclude there exists a correlation between hatcheries (laboratory) and the natural environment. However, for economic reasons, production techniques have evolved without considering the balance of the ecosystem. How do we now reconcile science, economics, and environment to preserve an ancestral species and production technique? With the added risk of losing the producers, an invaluable economic and social network, the French association “Traditional Oyster Farmer” wishes to analyze the situation further and find real lasting solutions.

It is often assumed that the application of voluntary standards, like ASC and GlobalGAP, is a barrier to markets for smallholders in the trade throughout the value chain. During 2011 several NGOs in Indonesia and the Netherlands analyzed the implications of applying both ASC and GlobalGAP criteria on existing small shrimp farming systems. Six different sites throughout the country were analysed with the cooperation of shrimp processing companies. The analysis demonstrated that in three of the six sites, the proposition to improve small farms up to combined ASC and GlobalGAP compliance is feasible and viable to small farmers in the context of business relationships over a period of 5-7 years. When extra environmental benefits are considered (such as carbon sequestration) all six sites would produce a considerable added value to society as a whole.

To see the presentations from this session:

Tom Willems (Oxfam Novib) & Mathew Parr (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)

Chilean jack mackerel used to be a key component of the South Pacific ecosystem. Unfortunately, scientists are convinced that this population is currently exhausted, with its reproductive biomass at 5% of the potential biomass without fishing. As this fishery happens both in national and beyond national jurisdictions, around a dozen of countries have responsibilities on fishing and conservation of Chilean jack mackerel. Few years ago, a new Regional Management Organization has been created to deal with the South Pacific fisheries. Nevertheless, along the first years, the adopted interim measures couldn´t avoid the race for fish to continue. This presentation tells the story of how CeDePesca contributed to end the race for fish in the Chilean jack mackerel fishery and to create a collaborative environment for the recovery of the stock. It is also the story of the forces (Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, the supply chain) that encouraged CeDePesca to do so.

To see the presentations from this session:

Ernesto Godelman (Cedepesca)
Ricardo Oliveros-Ramos (Peruvian Marine Research Institute)

Last year, California Environmental Associates was hired by four large foundations to conduct a review of the state of fisheries globally and suggest potential paths forward for the conservation community, including the seafood market transformation effort. The initial draft of that report, Charting a Course to Sustainable Fisheries, has been shared broadly with the conservation community, and is soon to be re-released. In this presentation, Matthew Elliott of CEA will review the main findings, focusing on the global state of fisheries and the path forward, with an emphasis on recommendations relevant to the sustainable seafood movement, including the intersection of retail commitments, certification, and fishery improvement projects. In addition, this presentation will provide updates on two new areas of work: 1) New findings about the status of unassessed fisheries, which will be published in the next few months by colleagues at UCSB, and 2) A broader discussion of the implications of the findings from a global food security perspective.

To see the presentations from this session:

Matthew Elliott (California Environmental Associates)

There is a growing demand from a number of retailers and suppliers in Europe and North America for the traceability and sustainability of the products they are purchasing from Asian countries. There are some challenges for Asian fisheries to meet these demands, including: poor management, lack of accurate catch data, no stock assessment, the issues in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and the use of unsustainable fishing methods. In the absence of government regulation and management, the stakeholders in supply chains can initiate the fishery improvement projects. There are some examples that can be used as lessons learned where the supply chain could play the role in assisting and encouraging improvements in each of these case studies. The speakers in this session include relevant FIP manager/ and key stakeholders involved in the relevant FIPs.

To see the presentations from this session:

Lucy Blow (New England Seafood International)
Maria Aberg (ABBA Seafood)

The panel will give an insight into global organic aquaculture production and organic seafood markets. Global production has reached an estimated volume of 150.000 t in 2011. Organic seafood markets are strongly growing in a few major organic food markets whereas in many other countries market sales have just started or are still neglectable. Organic salmon (Salmo salar) and prawns (Penaeus vannamei and Penaeus monodon) are by far the most important organic seafood items but variety of organic seafood has increased in the last 5 years. In many developing countries organic aquaculture concepts have been developed hand in hand with social development and income generation strategies. Specific cases from Asian countries will be presented and discussed in particular related bottlenecks like organic feed and economic feasibility but also the positive impact on environment (e.g. mangroves) or socio-economic impact (e.g. income generation for small holders).

To see the presentations from this session:

Udo Censkowsky, Moderator (Organic Services)
Marc Prein (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
Jonathan Wong (Baptist University, Hong Kong)

The workshop will explore ways of collaboration between scientists, public authorities NGOs and fishermen to set up co-management plans at local level within the Common Fisheries Policy. The workshop will present French government initiative to launch pilot case studies to experiment integrated exploitation and management units. Three sites have been selected : small-scale fisheries in Var (mediterranean coast), nephrops trawlers in Bay of Biscay (North East Atlantic) and Guyane in South America (South West Atlantic). But other similar initiatives have emerged throughout Europe and other case studies will be presented. Are fisheries more sustainable when stakeholders are involved ? Does it worth it to invest in collective intelligence ?

To see the presentation from this session:

Steve Mackinson (CEFAS Laboratory, UK)

Ecological footprint is an emerging aspect of seafood sustainability, because minimizing the ecological footprint of seafood will be essential in securing future seafood supply. One success is production of low ecological footprint seafood in China, primarily aquaculture of low trophic level species such as carp, kelp, clams and oysters. Elsewhere in Asia, low trophic level species are common while seafood production in Europe is dominated by high ecological footprint top predator species such as cod and salmon. This session will explore ecological footprint, including why it’s important, links to other aspects of sustainability, and options for minimizing seafood ecological footprint.

To see the presentations from this session:

Mark Powell, Moderator (WWF International)
Cui He (China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance)

Ninety percent of global aquaculture production comes from Asia and the Pacific Region. China is by far the largest producer, accounting for over 70 percent of global production (FAO 2006). China is also the cradle of aquaculture with a history of production dating as far back as 4,000 years ago. Yet very few importers/major buyers of Chinese seafood have experienced first-hand the realities of production and processing in China.

Field trip participants will gain an understanding of the challenges and lessons learned from the Chinese aquaculture industry, such as quality and consistency of supply, traceability, marketing, meeting sustainability standards, price negotiation, and more. This trip is designed to show a realistic and broad view of the modern aquaculture industry in China. In keeping with the theme of the Seafood Summit, Evolving Solutions for New Horizons, the field trip aims to consider how major seafood buyers can work together with Chinese companies to improve aquaculture sustainability.

Included is a visit to China’s largest live seafood market in Guangzhou; large scale offshore net-pen aquaculture in Dongpin County for pompano, cobia, and grouper; the Maoming Changxing tilapia company in Maoming (processing plant); China’s largest shrimp company, Guolian, in Zhanjiang (including hatchery, ponds, labs, feed mill, and processing plant); and an Israeli experimental red tilapia and freshwater prawn farm (time permitting).

In addition to local seafood industry hosts from our field visit sites, representative(s) from the provincial level, Guangdong Fishery Bureau-Ministry of Agriculture, will accompany the field trip to provide further explanation of Chinese aquaculture management and policy.