Create a vision for all seafood that outlines the desired future for environmental and social responsibility and the roles of various stakeholders in the movement.
overview
The high-level vision for all seafood will set the North Star for seafood production and advance a vision that will articulate the roles and responsibilities of NGOs, industry, and governments in improving the sustainability and responsibility of seafood.
goal
The 2023 Vision for Responsible Seafood will chart a course for environmental and social improvements. It will also help align the community’s work, allowing for efficient implementation and more transparent progress tracking.
Working Group
Nicole Condon
Nicole Condon serves as US Program Director for the Marine Stewardship Council overseeing the fisheries, commercial, marketing and communications strategies to develop opportunities for growth in the US market, from certified fisheries to MSC labeled products. She brings with her a combined experience of almost 20 years in marine science, non-profit program management, and seafood sustainability. Her extensive background includes a foundation in marine science and sustainability management, with degrees in marine biology, oceanography, and sustainability management.
Caroline Ferguson
Caroline E. Ferguson is an interdisciplinary marine social scientist. She holds her PhD in Environment and Resources from Stanford University. Her community-based research centers equity and justice in fisheries management. Through partnerships with fishers, researchers, educators, policy-makers, and conservationists, her work has explored how the seafood trade impacts social inequities, food security, Indigenous sovereignty, environmental degradation, and cultural heritage. Her work is action-oriented, seeking just and effective solutions to the social and environmental challenges identified by fishers. Prior to earning her PhD, Dr. Ferguson worked as a Project Manager at FishWise, a member of the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions.
Gabrielle Lout
Gabby is a marine social scientist and human rights advocate. She earned her PhD in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from Arizona State University where she focused on improving human and labor rights and social well-being in global fisheries. As the Social Responsibility Program Manager, Gabby leads Ocean Outcomes work on social responsibility across the organization’s diverse fisheries and communities. She has extensive experience working directly with fishers, communities, and government to advance social responsibility in both small-scale and industrial fisheries spanning the U.S., Canada, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Arlene Nietes Satapornvanit
Arlene (Jigsz) Nietes Satapornvanit has been professionally and directly involved in gender integration in the workplace and in project management since the 2000s, working with sustainable aquaculture and fisheries projects in the region. She has expertise in gender equality and social inclusion, sustainable and ethical aquaculture and fisheries, capacity development and training, project management and coordination, and participatory field research. Arlene is an alumna of the University of the Philippines (BSc Fisheries), Asian Institute of Technology (MSc Aquaculture), and University of Stirling (PhD Aquaculture). She is a member of the Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society (GAFS/AFS), World Aquaculture Society, Social and Gender Steering Committee of the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, and the International Organisation for Women in the Seafood Industry.
Trini Pratiwi
Trini Pratiwi is an aquaculture specialist with over ten years of experience in sustainable aquaculture and seafood value chain development. She has led mandates with companies, private and public investors, governments, NGOs, and producers in various capacities. She has performed work in the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries as Advisor to the Minister and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiative. Trini has developed investment guidelines for sustainable aquaculture and innovative financing capacity building framework with Indonesian financial service authority to increase investment into the sector along with supported development of blended finance funds channeled for aquaculture producers. She is currently project manager for Asian Seafood Initiative Collaborative and co-lead for A Greener Blue at the Lexicon both towards leveraging support for seafood producers to improve practices, recognition and their livelihood.
Jenny Slafkosky
Jenny Slafkosky is Director of Communications for Bon Appétit Management Company, an on-site restaurant company with more than 1,000 locations in 33 states that is dedicated to executing food service for a sustainable future. As a former journalist and food editor for Bay Area News Group, Jenny has long been driven to research and communicate about food systems issues. Prior to her role at Bon Appétit, Jenny worked for the Monterey Bay Aquarium in communications and events roles supporting the now retired Sustainable Foods Institute and Cooking for Solutions programs. There she had the opportunity to work with members of the Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program and developed a deep interest in the environmental and human rights issues related to the global seafood supply chain.
Ryo Takahashi
Ryo majored in Agricultural Economics at Tokyo University of Agriculture. After studying agriculture in the Philippines, he became interested in doing business with foreign countries, and after graduation, joined a trading company specializing in seafood in Tsukiji. After joining the company, Ryo purchased wild-caught seafood products from South America and other Asian countries and sold them to a number of businesses in Japan and abroad. Currently, Ryo is working to get people of all ages interested in the seafood industry to balance sustainable seafood and business.
Javier Van Cauwelaert
Javier Van Cauwelaert is partner and CEO of Comercializadora SmartFish, the only commercializer in Mexico dedicated exclusively to the sale of fish and seafood of sustainable, artisanal and Mexican origin. Javier joined SmartFish in 2018, where he designed and implements the company’s expansion plan, which allows them to increase their sales and the impact they generate. Prior to Comercializadora SmartFish, Javier worked for more than 5 years at Grupo Contramar, a high-end restaurant group in Mexico City. Born in Argentina and Mexican by choice, he holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Lena Weiss
Lena Weiss, Wild Fisheries Specialist, Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium (she/her). Lena currently focuses on sustainability issues surrounding wild capture fisheries and techniques to reduce the impacts of fishing and other human activities on habitats and ecosystems, as well as the responsible integration of blue technology and innovation into the ocean use space. Prior to joining the Anderson Cabot Center in 2019, she worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a marine ecologist and scientific diver, focusing on large-scale infrastructure projects and ecosystem health. Lena is interested in facilitating the integration of scientific research into decision-making processes, at both the policy level and at smaller scales.
Timeline
2022 – 2023
