Since its release in 2008, the Common Vision for Sustainable Seafood has served the responsible seafood movement well. Its six steps to develop and implement seafood policy have been embraced by many organizations and helped businesses deliver on their commitments to responsible seafood.
Well into its second decade, the Common Vision was ready for a substantial update. The new document would be in two parts: a Vision for Seafood in 2022 and Guidelines for Companies in 2023. To get started, last year we gathered a Working Group of experts to begin work on the Vision. These experts are:
- Javier Van Cauwelaert (SmartFish Inc.)
- Nicole Condon (Marine Stewardship Council)
- Caroline Ferguson, Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Maine)
- Gabrielle Lout, Ph.D. (Ocean Outcomes)
- Trini Pratiwi (Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative)
- Arlene Nietes Satapornvanit (Genderaquafish)
- Jenny Slafkosky (Bon Appétit Management Company)
- Ryo Takahashi (Seafood Legacy)
- Lena Weiss (Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium)
We had several goals:
- The Vision should provide a high-level introduction to how we intend to achieve the Alliance’s Vision: a world with an abundance of seafood in an environment where workers, communities, and our ocean can all thrive. *
- The Vision should outline our work within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). By aligning with the SDGs, we believe we can better connect our movement to global discussions about development and food systems and help stakeholders identify interconnected environmental and social issues in their work. Of course, our goals do not correspond to all of the SDGs nor do the SDGs cover every issue in our sector with sufficient detail. However, the SDGs highlight the interdependence of social and environmental responsibility, presenting a paradigm shift for our seafood improvement efforts and offering a much-needed push to expand beyond our movement’s historical focus on the environment.
- The Vision should provide examples of how different actors in our sector might promote responsible seafood production and the UN SDGs.
Today, after months of Working Group meetings and hundreds of lines of insightful community feedback, the Vision is ready for your signature and endorsement.
Click here to endorse the Vision for Seafood.
* This Vision for Seafood expands upon the introduction and principles published in the original Common Vision for Sustainable Seafood. In 2023, new guidelines for companies will replace the six steps companies can take to develop and implement a sustainable seafood commitment.
