Seafood Champion finalists named at Seafood Expo Asia

During the second day of Seafood Expo Asia in Hong Kong, SeaWeb announced the finalists for the Seafood Champion Awards to be unveiled at an awards ceremony during the 11th SeaWeb Seafood Summit, which will be held from 9 to 11 February 2015, in New Orleans, La., USA.

Following specific criteria, judges selected 16 finalists in four categories: leadership, innovation, vision and advocacy. The Seafood Champion Awards recognize individuals and companies for outstanding leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. Nominees represent the fishing, aquaculture, seafood supply and distribution, retail, restaurant and foodservice sectors as well as other stakeholders, such as conservation and social organizations, academia and the media.

“Each one of these Champion nominees has a unique and important story to tell of how they came to embrace sustainability as an integral component of their strategy and business model,” said Dawn M. Martin, president of SeaWeb. “They set a powerful example by working on some of the most vital seafood and ocean-related issues and it is a privilege to be able to acknowledge them for their efforts.”

The Seafood Champion Awards nominees were judged for specific award categories and the finalists for each category are as follows. In the Leadership category, individuals and entities that display leadership by organizing and convening seafood stakeholders to improve the sustainability of seafood or ocean health, include:

•    Bill DiMento, corporate director of sustainability, High Liner Foods (North America)
•    CeDePesca – Centre for Development and Sustainable Fisheries (Latin America & Caribbean)
•    International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Asia Pacific, EU, North America)
•    Dr. Andrew Jackson, technical director, International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization (EU)

In the Innovation category, individuals and organizations that identify and apply creative new solutions to address: ecological challenges, existing market needs, and barriers to sustainability, include:

•    Dave Kellian, pelagic fisher (Asia-Pacific)
•    University of Massachusetts Amherst Dining (United States)
•    Anova Food's Fishing & Living (Asia Pacific/North America)
•    Project:Inshore (United Kingdom)

In the Vision category, individuals and companies that establish a clear and compelling vision of the future that inspires positive change for sustainable seafood in fields such as: technology; policy; products or market; conservation tools, include:

•    Loblaw Companies Ltd. (North America)
•    Mars Petcare US (United States)
•    Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia Foundation (Indonesia)
•    TJ Tate, sustainability director, Gulf Wild (United States)

In the Advocacy category, people and entities that positively influence public policy, use the media to raise the profile of sustainable seafood, or influence public discourse and engage key stakeholders by publicly championing advances in sustainable seafood, include:

•    Ayumu Katano, deputy general manager, Maruha Nichiro Corporation (Japan)
•    The Republic of the Maldives (Indian Ocean–Arabian Sea)
•    Steve Vilnit, director of fisheries marketing, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (United States)
•    Environmental Justice Foundation (EU, Africa)
                                  
“The Seafood Champion Award nominations are judged by experts from the sustainable community,” added Martin. “We would like to give special thanks to all of them for giving their time and expertise in taking part of this selection process.”

The expert panel of judges consists of a mix of representatives from the NGO community, the philanthropic sector and the seafood industry. The judges independently cast their votes for each nomination through a quantitatively weighted survey.  

This year’s panel of judges includes: Lisa Genasci, CEO, The ADM Capital Foundation; Jim Gilmore, director of public affairs, At-Sea Processors Association; John Goodlad, chairman of Shetland Catch Ltd. and the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group; Miguel Jorge, executive director, 50in10; Melanie Siggs, global seafood expert, special advisor to HRH The Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit; Helene York, global director, responsible business, Compass Group@Google; and Barton Seaver, director, Healthy and Sustainable Food Program, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard School of Public Health, Sustainability Fellow in Residence at the New England Aquarium, and National Geographic Society Fellow.

For more information about the Seafood Champion Awards, visit www.seafoodchampions.org. To view brief bios of each finalists, please view our gallery.