ustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has always believed that it’s possible to protect
the world’s marine ecosystem while at the same time not destroying the livelihoods connected to it through the global seafood industry.
We have diligently worked with major industry stakeholders to change for the better how seafood is produced, and this year marks our 10th anniversary of cooperative success. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 10 years since Jim Cannon first began work on creating the organization now known as SFP. Jim left his position at Conservation International (CI) in 2006 to focus on marine conservation projects, building on his experiences at CI.
Cannon recalled that at the time he would have been “amazed and delighted” if the fledgling organization he created would last 10 years. “Looking back now, that’s just how I feel – amazed at how it’s worked out so far and delighted with the growth in partners and the results we’ve achieved together.”
The size and scope of SFP’s work has grown exponentially over the years. It started with fewer than 10 people working on fewer than five fishery improvement projects. Today, there are more than 60 people operating from offices in more than 30 countries worldwide, all working on improvement projects concerning seafood production based in more than 20 countries around the world.
Our partner base has grown, too. Some of our oldest partners, McDonald’s and Walmart, had a working relationship with Cannon that extends back to before 2006, but since SFP’s founding we have added more than 30 companies, all leaders in their field and major stakeholders in the seafood industry. We have also expanded beyond fishing to include aquaculture improvement, and to assist our work we have developed a comprehensive database for tracking FIP progress and fishery sustainability, offering even more tools to our partners to help them improve their seafood sourcing.
Our success shows in a number of sectors. Working with major North American whitefish procurer High Liner Foods, we oversaw an improvement project that led to a rebounding of whitefish stocks in the Barents Sea, including cod. Today, stock levels have climbed to a level higher than during World War II.
In the Gulf of California, a similar improvement project managed to cut the number of bottom-trawling shrimp fishing vessels in half, and yet the fishery still maintains the highest economic value of landings and the greatest number of direct jobs. The fishery has also gone on to receive Fair Trade USA certification based on how well it treats its workers.
And in China, a new aquaculture improvement project in Hainan province is taking a holistic approach to managing multiple farms, maintaining water quality and motivating the industry to voluntarily create new standards that we hope will apply to many tilapia farming operations in the region for years to come.
These are just some of the positive impacts SFP has had in its first 10 years alone, and we expect to be telling even more great stories of success 10 years from now.
“Reaching this milestone shows SFP is no longer a small, grass-roots organization,” Cannon said. “SFP has clearly established itself as a global voice in sustainable seafood, and I couldn’t be prouder of the progress we’ve made together with the industry. We look forward to many more years of working with our partners toward a goal of environmental and economic stability.”
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
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December 2016 - Sustainable Living
124 - SEVENSEAS