Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions 2023 Annual Conference in San Juan Puerto Rico 

The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions (CASS) collaborates globally to protect our ocean and the people who depend on it.  They bring together a global community representing over 100 organizations (mostly NGO based) across 22 countries working together to improve the sustainability and responsibility of seafood supply chains. Their goal is that by 2030, at least 75% of global seafood production is environmentally responsible or making verifiable improvement, and safeguards are in place to ensure social responsibility. 

This was Fortune’s first in-person meeting with CASS.  In 2019, CASS welcomed the seafood industry sector to join the Alliance after being a historically NGO based organization. The 2020, 2021 & 2022 conferences were virtual.  

Fortune’s Stacy Schultz was awarded the Alliance Responsible Seafood Award for 2023 Outstanding Contribution 
 

Highlights 

The conference kicked off with group exercise of mapping the sustainability movement, what have been the challenges and changes, how is our organization involved, and exploring potential collaboration opportunities. 

I attended a panel on Sustainable Assurances in small scale fisheries and aquaculture.  While there are the traditional tools for sustainability assurance like Certification and Ratings, there is a need for new models/tools and an inclusive process especially for small scale fisheries and aquaculture. The focus of the session was to demonstrate through Ocean Wise and Seafood Watch initiatives that there are other credible tools and initiatives and hear of other experiences and input from participants/panelists at the event. The session also discussed how these initiatives could be advanced, and how we can address the issue of market access for these small scale fisheries and aquaculture through these new tools. 

Monterey Bay Aquarium presented on their Improvement Verification Platform (IVP) and how it has been rolled out in Vietnam and India.  In 2019, I was able to travel to Vietnam to see the platform in action at a Black Tiger farm.  Guy Dean (Partnerships and Acquisitions, Coastal Nations Fisheries) talked about how the Indigenous peoples know and track the sustainability of its fisheries but not by using Western Science.  How do we translate these oral or visual documents to resonate with fishery managers and eNGOs. Sonia Strobel of Skipper Otto Community Supported Fishery brought the hyper local perspective of the CSA  model for fisheries.   Casey Marion of Beaver Street Fisheries explained the industry prospective that it’s not that simple to put the story on every bag of every sku for various retailers.  Mike McDermid (Ocean Wise) shared a map of salmon fisheries hundreds of individual fisheries in BC alone.  He posed the question of how do we manage the sustainability of each.   

On day two there was a presentation about the Queen Conch Lab by Dr. Megan Davis research professor FL Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Raimundo Espinoza, ED of Conservacion ConCiencia. 

Dr. Megan Davis spoke of the five community-based queen conch aquaculture restoration partnership projects have been established. Spoiler- she will be speaking at NFI’s Seafood Industry Research Fund dinner in January.  Each project is successful due to strategic partnerships with the local host communities, governments, universities, and other organizations that work in collaboration. The goal of each queen conch restoration project is to transition the learnings and technology to the community, thus embedding the sustainable aquaculture restoration practices in the hands of current and future generations.  

The Queen Conch Lab project in Puerto Rico is housed at the Naguabo Aquaculture Center in Puerto Rico, which is a partnership with Conservación ConCiencia, who has been collaborating with fishing communities throughout Puerto Rico to develop, implement, and promote sustainable fishery practices. The Naguabo Aquaculture Center is growing conch for restoration, local sustainable seafood, and is a training facility for workforce development and diversification of livelihoods for fishers.  

Global Tuna Alliance

Fortune is also a member of the Global Tuna Alliance. The Global Tuna Alliance is an independent group of retailers and supply chain companies, working to ensure that tuna meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility.  It was created to build a shared, global, and non-competitive solution to sustainability issues in the global tuna supply chain.  Every year, each of the tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) holds a full session where member-states send delegations representing their nation’s interests. It is here where binding agreements can be negotiated to regulate and reform the industry. The GTA drafts a position statement outlining the fisheries management progress its members hope will be made at the upcoming session.  
Fortune was able to attend a RFMO meeting for Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission in August as an observer sponsored by Pew Charitable Trust.  In November, I attended a virtual meeting with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas delegations in advance of the RFMO meeting to share how important sustainable tuna and assured supply is to our company and our customers.    

Sea Pact 

In September, we held our annual meeting in Boston to update our strategic priorities to include specific goals and activities.  After 2 days of meetings, the group toured Boston Sword and Tuna.  

Sea Pact has added two new members this year, Acme Smoked Fish and Blue Ocean Mariculture.  We also have 2 new Supporters this quarter, Pepper and Kvaroy Arctic.  If you know of any suppliers or customers that are interested in becoming a Sea Pact Supporter, please let me know. 

Members elected to not fund a project in the 2nd cycle of 2023 given none of the proposals were well aligned with Sea Pact’s sustainability priorities. This was a good thing! It demonstrated integrity and that members will not fund a project just to fund a project. 

SAGE Gender Equality Dialogues 

In August, Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) announced the official launch of the Gender Equality Dialogues (GED)—a new program offering leaders in the North American seafood industry the opportunity to align on the key barriers to gender equality across the sector, make measurable and actionable commitments, and leave equipped with the tools and information to drive tangible, enduring change.  Fortune Fish and Gourmet, Seattle Fish Co., and Acme Smoked Fish are participants of the initial cohort through a series of virtual meetings.  Brian, Omayra and I have been meeting monthly with the cohort. 

The idea for the GED sprung from the recommendations of a global survey conducted by the international nonprofit Women in the Seafood Industry (WSI) in 2018, in which 61% of the women respondents reported gender inequalities compared to 38% of men. WSI was a significant contributor and collaborator on the initial development of the GED. 

SATS Stronger America Through Seafood 

Offshore aquaculture is used widely around the world to complement wild harvesting. In the U.S., offshore aquaculture is constrained by extraordinary regulatory hurdles, a misinformed public perception of environmental impact, and limited capital investment to improve the technology.  There is now widespread support from academics, environmentalists, seafood experts, and Members of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, to grow America’s offshore aquaculture industry.  

Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) was formed with the mission to secure a stronger America through increased U.S. production of healthful, sustainable, and affordable seafood.  Fortune has been a voting member of the board of directors since inception in 2013?  The immediate focus of the group is at the federal level with a two-pronged approach to initiate change. The first is through the passage of legislation for the bipartisan Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act. The second is through Executive branch action to increase the efficiency of existing aquaculture regulations.   

In November, I traveled to Washington D.C. for the annual in person meeting and Hill walks.  The Director the Office of Aquaculture for NOAA, Danielle Blacklock, sat down with SATS to point out the increased attention that aquaculture has received since SATS formed.  From executive actions to increased budgets and expansion of NOAA’s aquaculture programs, she believes SATS has been a driving force for aquaculture in Washington.  SATS members met with staffers for Senators from Hawaii, Mississippi, Florida, Illinois, and members of Congress from Massachusetts, Maryland, and Alabama.  All were very receptive to supporting the AQUAA Act.

Acme Seafood Industry Climate Award  

Fortune was honored to be a judge for Acme’s Seafood Industry Climate Awards again this year.  TD Bank is the catalyst sponsor and Builders Initiative is also a sponsor to help grow the awards program in 2022 and 2023 through a grant to the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation.  Acme is funding innovation through the Seafood Industry Climate Awards and donating 1% of their proceeds to climate initiatives, investing in the longevity of the industry and our planet. The Seafood Industry Climate Award is the Acme Smoked Fish Foundation’s signature program with a singular purpose: to identify the most promising solutions that will lower the carbon footprint of the seafood industry and increase the leadership role of women and minority communities. Awards are made in North America and Chile.  The three winners in each region will receive individual $70,000 grants. The 2023 recipients are Minorities in Aquaculture, Pine Island Redfish and Viable Gear. 

100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge  

Fortune Fish & Gourmet signed on to the “100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge,” today, publicly committing to using 100% of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish productively by 2025. As part of the pledge, Fortune Fish & Gourmet will explore and implement innovative applications for fish byproducts including protein, marine collagen, fertilizer, leather, and other new, high-value products.  

We will also be donating fish for in a culinary competition at Kendall in January. Our very own Jeff Lemke will be one of the judges.