SeafoodSource is closely following the sustainable seafood movement by compiling a regular round-up of sector updates about sustainability initiatives and certifications.
-Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based seafood firm Gorton’s Seafood has joined the Ecuadorian Gulf of Guayaquil Titi Shrimp Fishery Improvement Project (Titi-FIP).
“We are excited to officially join and support this FIP and its improvement efforts in such an important fishery. We applaud the work done already in establishing this coalition and look forward to contributing towards positive change with the shared goal of ensuring the health of this resource for years to come,” Gorton’s Seafood Buyer and Ocean Fishery Health Corporate Social Responsibility Pillar Lead Dillion Cecchi said in a release.
The FIP was created in 2020 by Guayaquil-based NATLUK; Buffalo, New York U.S.A.-based Rich Products; and Portsmouth, New Hampshire U.S.A.-based Delta Blue Seafood. Ecuador's National Chamber of Fisheries (CNP), a seafood industry trade group, was also involved in the organization of the project.
“It is exciting to see how we are moving forward," NATLUK FIP Executive Committee Lead and Manager Veronica Dahik said. "Important companies in the sector, international market clients, and the fishing fleet are united by a common objective. I am sure that we will achieve it. It is not easy, but it is the right path to take. The sustainability of the resource is our responsibility. As actors in the sector, we must protect the resource for future generations and the world."
-Conservation International Ventures and Hatch Blue has opened a call for proposals their grant program for Latin America-based women founders in the blue food sector. The grants are awarded to support female founders to expand blue food businesses in Latin America.
“We are seeking women who are building commercially successful businesses that promote the prosperity of our oceans and local food systems. These could include blue food producers, companies that are advancing climate-friendly production methods, and those providing economic opportunities for coastal communities – especially the women in these communities,” Hatch Blue co-founder Wayne Murphy said in a release.
Recipients will be announced at the Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio from 14 to 26 January, in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico.
“Following the success of the inaugural studio, we are looking forward to working with a cohort of female Latin American entrepreneurs and are excited to engage with some of the most talented and innovative people involved in the region’s blue economy,” Conservation International Global Oceans Investments Lead Gracie White said in a release. “Aquaculture is booming in Latin America – from the growing seaweed sector to Brazil’s burgeoning tilapia business, to Ecuador’s remarkable shrimp industry – and we look forward to working with the local blue food community in México’s Baja region and the future female leaders of Latin America who are developing sustainable ways of operating in the seafood sector.”
-Julie Kuchepatov, Brian Perkins, and Stacy Schultz were revealed as the winners of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions' 2023 Responsible Seafood Awards, announced at the Alliance Annual Conference, which took place 24 to 26 October in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Kuchepatov, the founder of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE), won the Alliance Spirit Award. Perkins, the former CEO of the Global Seafood Alliance, won Board Member of the Year. Schultz, the director of marketing and sustainability coordinator for Fortune International, won the Outstanding Contribution award.
“It’s a real honor to be awarded this year’s Spirit Award from Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions! I’m really touched that my peers and colleagues recognize me and my work and our efforts to build a more equitable seafood sector for all,” Kuchepatov wrote on LinkedIn.
- Finnish biotechnology company Enifer announced its new trial has shown positive effects of its mycoprotein product PEKILO-Aqua on salmon health. Trials of the product were led by Norwegian researchers led by Margareth Overland at NBMU University.
"So far, trials have shown that salmon fed on yeast and PEKILO not only exhibit better health but also grow faster," Overland said, according to a company LinkedIn post.
Photo courtesy of Women in Ocean Food
