Sustainable seafood now accounts for USD 11.5 billion (EUR 10.1 billion) in sales, according to a new study, and while sustainability in seafood is up around the world, the study called out Asia for lagging behind many other countries in sustainability certification.
Sustainable seafood now accounts for 14 per cent of global production, a dramatic rise from just 0.5 per cent in 2005, according to “The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) Review: Standards and the Blue Economy,” which was produced by an alliance of international organizations including SSI and The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
“The rapid expansion of sustainable seafood practices is helping to address decades of mismanagement, which has led to the collapse of fisheries and destruction of fragile marine ecosystems,” said lead author Jason Potts, a senior associate at IISD.
However, even though Asia accounts for 69 percent of global seafood production, the continent accounts for only 11 percent of certified production, SSI found.
The study also found that the majority of certified seafood is not required to demonstrate compliance with universally-accepted core ILO labor conventions.
“Nor do they ensure that fishermen get paid a living wage for their catch,” SSI and IISD said.
The recent controversy over slavery-like conditions in the Thai shrimp industry – and the resulting call for change from consumers and retailers – highlights the importance of worker protection in the global seafood supply chain, the groups said.
“Labor rights and improved access to certification are becoming increasingly important as certification schemes seek to provide meaningful benefits for poorer stakeholders in the seafood supply chain,” said Ann Wilkings, a researcher with IISD and co-author of the report.
Meanwhile, the five countries that account for 64 percent of global certified production – the U.S., Peru, Norway, Chile and Russia – only account for 14 percent of global seafood production. Notably, North America and Europe account for more than 60 percent of certified production destined for retail markets.
“The concentration of production suggests that the benefits of certification are distributed unevenly across the world’s oceans and peoples,” SSI said. “Adoption of certification by Asia and Africa is complicated by underdeveloped infrastructure and will require significant investment if certified production is to grow in these regions.”
The study also found that seafood buyers are still reluctant to pay more for sustainability certification.
“Seafood standards can provide transparency to economic relations and thereby facilitate investment. To date, as indicated in the report, actual premiums associated with certified seafood have been either low or non-existent, pointing to the need for external investment and finance to help the transition among developing economies,” said Noemi Perez of Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade, a co-publisher of the report.
The groups’ research “found little in the way of targeted funds linking investment to the adoption of sustainable practices, suggesting a potential opportunity for development banks, donor agencies and buyers,” Perez added.
