A new global fishery improvement organization announced its official launch this week at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit in New Orleans, La., USA.
Called Ocean Outcomes, or O2, the group’s international fishery experts will work in high-risk commercial fisheries worldwide to make sustainable seafood more available.
“The demand for sustainable seafood is at an all-time high, but sourcing options are limited: the majority of the world’s commercial fisheries remain at risk,” said Rich Lincoln, executive director of Ocean Outcomes. “Many of these fisheries operate at the margins of profitability — they have a lot to gain from improving their practices, but need support to do so. We can help — Ocean Outcomes gets down in the trenches with fisheries to help design and reach sustainability goals.”
The group will focus its first efforts on Japan and Russia, areas that will prove to be a challenge.
“Both regions are tough environments for those unfamiliar with the local cultures or politics,” said Brian Caouette, founder and director of programs at Ocean Outcomes, who discussed the new group at a panel discussion at the summit this week. “Figuring out how to get local buy-in is the big step.”
The group has already gotten to work and already gotten the attention of some big names in the seafood industry, including Bill DiMento, corporate director of sustainability at High Liner Foods.
"As an international seafood company, we have a stake in the health of global fisheries," DiMento said. "O2 helps us develop strategies to work with local seafood suppliers and fisheries to make practical, on-the-water improvements."
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