Keepin' it Real is Not Always Pretty

These are the facts:

• As of 2011, it was estimated that 29% of fish stocks were overfished (p. 37).
• Only 10% of global wild caught seafood now comes from fisheries engaged in the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) certification program
• Not all fisheries can achieve MSC certification
• Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) provide the building blocks (stepping stones, blue prints, road map) needed for a fishery to make substantial changes geared towards its improvement, better management, healthier stocks, and MSC certification (if that’s their goal or even a possibility)
• FIPs are largely underfunded

In the past 5 years of working in the seafood industry as the Sustainability Coordinator for Sea Delight, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in workshops, seminars, panels, and forums, which address issues affecting the health of our oceans.  I have engaged with different NGOs and their partners, and rallied around this idea that industry can (and should) develop Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) and that these projects should have as their goal MSC certification because this is the highest standard for seafood sustainability. Though I believe that to be true, I also understand that not all fisheries can achieve certification, and that the ultimate goal should not be certification per se but rather, the improvement of the fishery itself and securing livelihoods for those depending on the fishery should be the ultimate goal.

In these meetings I am also often told that FIPs cannot have a consumer-facing value as this would compete unfairly with already MSC certified products. Though I can understand this being an issue, the bottom line is that, without FIPs, most fisheries could not undergo a development process that would help prepare them for a full MSC assessment and certification. Moreover, I think most of us would agree that we are not in the FIP business to make a profit but to actually improve the fishery we work with and secure the long term availability of the resource (as well as the livelihood of those depending on this resource). Sometimes people forget that. Especially when we keep framing FIPs around MSC certification.

Everyone wants sustainable fish but no one wants to pay for it!   Let’s be real. Sustainability programs cost money. Fishery Improvement Projects are very costly and, because of it, are largely underfunded. Also, when we think about your average consumer (the Jane/John Does of the world), most of them don’t understand what a FIP or MSC certification truly means. In addition, whereas FIP products are granted market access in lieu of certification, this access doesn’t necessarily translate to additional resources for the FIP itself.

And then it happened. Safeway and Fair Trade USA launched the world’s first Fair Trade Certified™ seafood. It was announced at SeaWeb Seafood Summit in New Orleans last February. My first reaction was to be puzzled and ask “…Fair Trade, like in the coffee?” And now this has suddenly spread like a Tsunami (or is it wild fire?) and we are all talking about it.

This was the beginning of a series of realizations. Every meeting I’ve participated in from SeaWeb, Clinton Global Initiative, the Seafood Expo North America in Boston, and then the Global Seafood Expo in Brussels has been characterized by questions about not only seafood sustainability, but also framing these questions around social issues affecting fishing communities’ livelihoods, human trafficking, etc.

Learning about Fair Trade’s Certified Seafood and how this Fair Trade Premium is carried down the supply chain, to the retailer, to the consumer and then a percentage of this premium (after Fair Trade’s annual licensing fee) goes back to the fishing community, I couldn’t help but think to myself “This is absolutely GENIUS!”

Could FIPs partner with Fair Trade and could we use part of that Fair Trade Premium to help fund some of the needed FIP activities? Just like I recognized the Fair Trade label long before I learned what MSC was, there are thousands of consumers that would understand what Fair Trade Certified Seafood is when they don’t even know what MSC stands for (sorry MSC, no disrespect). We’ve all encountered Fair Trade Coffee, Cocoa, Tea (you name it, they probably have it). So now we have a whole community of people we can engage in this conversation about responsible seafood.

Can Fair Trade be the incentive that fishermen need in order to engage them more effectively into this process?

We have tried a bill-back programs with vendors (Sea Delight provides 1-5 cents per pound imported, and vendor matches that contribution), but this is limiting since A. the vendor has to agree to participate, and B. the end consumer doesn’t have the opportunity to use their buying power to participate.  So when you add a Fair Trade premium to the product everyone in the supply chain is contributing to that cost.

MSC certification can remain the ultimate goal. No one is claiming that Fair Trade Certified Seafood is 100% Sustainable, but we could use their model to address important aspects of these fisheries that are often overlooked: socio-economic factors, fishers’ livelihoods, fishing communities, etc., while using this as a tool to generate funding for FIP activities and having a widely recognized brand that could help tell the story of the work we are all doing under these FIPs.

Maybe Fair Trade is not the answer to it all, and maybe it would be seen as yet another “eco-label,” but the reality remains that FIPs cost money. Can we can figure out a way to generate funding for these projects while improving livelihoods in fishing communities? Can we meet the demand for more responsibly sourced seafood, all while maintaining MSC as an end goal for those fisheries that want or can achieve certification?

I don’t think Fair Trade should replace what companies like Sea Delight are already doing with their FIPs, but it could be used as a tool to generate additional funding that is needed to continue FIPs and also address some of the social-economic issues affecting these fisheries. I am sure there are downfalls to this process (most things have a negative side) but I am thinking more in terms of using Fair Trade as a platform to make positive contributions to the FIPs while creating awareness and also helping FIPs have value (sorry MSC).

*** DISCLAIMER: Again, these are my views (and mine only), they do not represent the views of my employer.