The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) has expanded into China through a new affiliated partnership with China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA), GSSI announced on 4 February.
CAPPMA has become the first Chinese organization to join the GSSI Global Partnership. The national non-profit industrial organization, which is committed to enhancing the business operations of its 1,800 members hailing from China’s seafood value chain, joined the GSSI Global Partnership as an affiliated partner. The move will offer CAPPMA “the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from global stakeholders in promoting and advancing seafood sustainability,” according to CAPPMA President Dr. Cui He.
“We look forward to leveraging GSSI’s Global Benchmark Tool and global partnership to support and promote responsible fisheries and aquaculture development in our region,” Cui He said.
“We are thrilled that CAPPMA is the first Chinese organization to join the GSSI Partnership,” added Herman Wisse, GSSI’s managing director. “As one of the largest producers and consumers of seafood globally, China will become a critical player in our journey towards more sustainable seafood for everyone. Our partnership with CAPPMA will provide a great platform to connect the Chinese seafood industry with our global stakeholders to provide environmentally and socially responsible seafood to consumers and the seafood value chain world-wide.”
The GSSI Global Partnership has also seen it funding partnership ranks flourish over the past month.
Regional mid-Atlantic seafood distributor North Atlantic Fish Company (NAFCO) became a funding partner with the GSSI Global Partnership on 15 January. The company – which works with GSSI-recognized certification schemes developed by Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) – is determined to “advance the importance of seafood sustainability and certification” via its new GSSI ties, said NAFCO President Stanley Pearlman.
On 22 January, Trapananda Seafarms became GSSI’s first South American funding partner. The operation stands as the sole commercial office for Australis Seafoods, offering “products with world-class standards, developed under a modern, efficient, and environmentally responsible management system,” GSSI said in a press release.
“For all of us at Trapananda Seafarms, sustainability and transparency are fundamental everyday missions. Becoming part of GSSI was a natural choice and we look forward to working jointly towards more sustainable seafood for everyone,” said Rick Cano, Trapananda Seafarms’ managing director.
Norway-based seafood company Seaborn AS also joined the GSSI Global Partnership as a funding member last month. The company’s salmon and trout products are certified under GLOBAL G.A.P. and ASC, both GSSI-recognized schemes. “We are pleased to be partnered with the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative to advance the importance of seafood sustainability and certification,” said Seaborn’s Sandra Sæther, who serves as the quality and compliance manager for the company.
Meanwhile, U.S.-based value-added seafood supplier Tampa Maid Foods, which joined the GSSI Global Partnership as a funding partner on 30 January, is looking forward to the sustainable sourcing opportunities the new collaboration entails.
“We are proud to be a funding partner of GSSI and support the ongoing efforts to create a more transparent and sustainable seafood industry. Not only will this open up more sustainable sourcing opportunities, but it also allows us to satisfy our customer’s growing demand for responsibly-sourced, credible seafood,” said Rod Van Wyngarden, Chief Operating Officer at Tampa Maid.
CGC Group, a Japanese cooperative of regional grocery chains, became the fifth Japanese organization to join the GSSI Global Partnership, as a funding partner, GSSI announced on 31 January. The partnership will help drive forward sustainable seafood development in the region, said CGC Group CEO Atsuhiro Horiuchi.
“We are very pleased to be partnered with the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative to provide more sustainable seafood for everyone," said Horiuchi. “As the world looks to Japan in the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, ensuring the supply of sustainable seafood is high on the agenda and CGC is committed to increasing its offering of certified seafood from GSSI recognized schemes.”
