On October 15, 2024, the 2024 Alliance Conference opened with an inaugural “Day Zero” event; a half-day series of presentations, discussions and small breakouts specifically focused on integrating social and environmental responsibility to promote and develop more comprehensive approaches to seafood. The concept was born out of the ongoing Alliance Social and Environmental Integration Network (“Network”) which brings together experts working on these topics to build connections and facilitate dialogue, learning and cross-organizational collaboration. The need for this type of platform and further conversation on the topic was identified through previous Alliance hosted discussions on social responsibility.
Day Zero had four goals:
- Hear directly from fishers about their experiences and how they promote both socially and environmentally sustainable fishing
- Explore the nexus between environmental and social accountability in the responsible seafood movement
- Provide an in-person meeting opportunity for members interested in elevating the promotion of workers’ rights and social accountability
- Share the Network’s collective effort to promote Taiwanese Fishers’ access to WiFi
The bilingual event was divided into two sessions, was free for all conference attendees, and was attended by nine speakers and over 55 audience members.
Session One
The Role of Fishermen in Advancing Their Rights: Increasing Your Power and Influence
Speakers
- José Luis Carrillo Galaz, CONMECOOP
- Romel Alberto Alcocer Diaz, CONMECOOP
- Roman Antonio Can Pereda, CONMECOOP
- Ilmar Josue Canul Reyes, CONMECOOP
- Judy Gearhart, Accountability Research Center, American University
Session One began with an introduction to the current state of fishers’ organizations globally and the critical role they play in protecting human and labor rights. It culminated in a discussion with Mexican fishers on how they balance livelihoods, welfare, and environmental sustainability, and how they are organizing to strengthen their influence in global markets and public policies.
Key takeaways included:
- Only focusing on the most egregious issues (e.g. forced labor) ignores the human rights ecosystem – especially enabling rights, such as the right to organize and negotiate collective contracts.
- Workers organizations must do more,and receive more support, to connect and coordinate amongst themselves. Organizing workers without connecting between those organizations does not strengthen the labor movement.
- Fishermen’s organizations benefit from prioritizing national policies. They suffer in areas where they can’t, for example in Taiwan, where the majority are migrants.
- Fishermen seek to be heard for their proposals, not just consulted about the proposals of others.
Next steps for the Alliance
- The Alliance Network will continue to promote the GLJ WIFI campaign
- Center labor rights in our discussions of social responsibility
- Provide opportunities for fishermen to inform proposals and interact with Global Hub members
Session Two: More is More
Speakers
- Jamie Padilla, FishChoice
- Jenifer Jackson, FairTradeUSA
- Kenton Harmer, Equitable Food Initiative
- Gabrielle Lout, Ocean Outcomes
- Gretchen Theusen, FairTrade USA
The second session began with the acknowledgment that advancing social responsibility in the seafood sector requires a whole toolbox–not just compliance-focused audits (which have their role). Great work is happening in the sector, but often in ad hoc or siloed ways. This includes impactful targeted interventions that often follow assessments and audits–such as those carried out in conjunction with the Social Responsibility Assessment or following Seafood Task Force assessment programs (trainings, investments in improved conditions, etc.). Ocean Outcomes’ Dr. Gabrielle Lout proposed creating a community of practice where organizations, consultants, and experts can learn from each others’ work in addressing risk in the sector. It’s also important to have social responsibility “champions” to look to who show us what’s possible. Fair Trade is one example of a robust certification program that has driven impact on the ground in a number of sectors. Jenifer and Gretchen spoke about the program’s infrastructure for worker and producer participation and how key it is in driving this impact. Kenton Harmer shared lessons from the Ethical Charter and the roll out of its implementation program from the fresh produce sector. Despite cross-sectoral differences, solutions found for the produce sector are likely applicable in the seafood space.
Key takeaways included:
- There is a need for (and a need for funding for) a space for experts to learn from each other’s efforts on this work.
- Whether targeted or comprehensive, all of this work can drive continuous improvement at scale in our industry if embedded in a framework.
- The Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices may provide important lessons for the seafood space. There is a strong desire to continue that discussion.
Breakout Group One Key Takeaways
This group discussed pre-competitive collaborations advancing social responsibility in the seafood sector, primarily Equitable Food Initiative’s (EFI) Ethical Charter for the produce sector. The primary takeaway was that there is a great deal our sector can learn from the Charter and that the Alliance and its members should be approaching this from two directions. First, the Alliance should move to further engage with EFI generally, and then provide a platform for our full membership to learn more about the Ethical Charter. Second, a subset of Alliance members should meet directly in early 2025 to discuss how to apply this work to seafood.
Breakout Group Two Key Takeaways
This group discussed risk assessment and mitigation in the seafood sector—the value of establishing a community of practice. The main takeaway was exploring how our community can ensure that key learnings related to both assessment and risk mitigation are captured and socialized with industry by creating a hub for resource sharing, assessment findings, and mitigation approaches across regions.
Breakout Group Three Key Takeaways
Group three explored how we can drive increased uptake of the more comprehensive, robust social responsibility programs in seafood (FTUSA, worker-driven social responsibility, etc.). As well as, how can we increase demand for socially responsible seafood so that it’s on par with MSC-certified seafood. This group explored what data needs to be collected and opportunities for better storytelling.
Next steps for the Alliance
- Host further discussions and presentations with Equitable Food Initiative to share their work with a broader Global Hub audience and find opportunities for collaboration
- The Alliance will connect with key leaders to discuss the need for a hub on mitigation and assessment in seafood
- Host a network meeting discussing the three takeaways noted above and identify who might carry that work forward
The Alliance continues to imagine a more responsible future for seafood. We look forward to carrying this critical work forward in partnership with our members.
