Sea Pact kicks off seventh annual project funding cycle

Sea Pact has begun its seventh annual project funding cycle, the alliance of North American seafood companies announced last week. 

The group submitted its initial Request for Letters of Interest (LOIs) on 26 July, according to a press release. This year, Sea Pact will be adhering to a revised project selection process, it said, starting with the initial LOIs, followed by invitations to submit full project proposals. The group hopes that the new process will lead to “greater efficiencies” as well as “more targeted and relevant project outcomes.”

Projects that are in line with Sea Pact’s mission and fall within the twelve broad categories are prime for consideration, the alliance said. Additionally, projects that touch on the below focus areas will receive preferential consideration for funding this year, Sea Pact said:

  • Social Responsibility
  • Aquaculture
  • Fisheries Management
  • Traceability
  • Special species of interest: Squid
  • Special regional area of interest: Great Lakes freshwater fisheries

Initial LOIs, which could be 1-2 pages in length, are due by 20 August, 2018. Select organizations will be asked to submit full project proposals around mid-September, with Sea Pact aiming to announce its grant recipients in late 2018. 

“We are excited once again to put a call out for innovative and impactful project proposals,” said Hamish Walker, Chief Operating Officer for Seattle Fish Company, and Chair of the Sea Pact Advisory Committee. “We are looking forward to a more targeted and efficient granting process with the initial receipt and review of Letters of Interest and the further submission of important and relevant full proposals. We continue our interest to have an ongoing relationship with our grantees to see how our grants are making a difference, and a strong alignment to our charter and assessment criteria will be essential for success.”

“To date, Sea Pact has funded 21 grants to 16 projects in 11 countries, with over $400,000 USD in direct support and over [USD] 1 million…of additional funds generated across these projects,” added Rob Johnson, Sea Pact’s managing director. “Through our renewed Sea Pact project funding process, we are proactively working together to support pragmatic solutions-focused projects that will increase the supply of sustainable seafood and improve the health of ocean and freshwater ecosystems that we all rely upon.” 

Sea Pact currently consists of ten leading North American seafood companies dedicated to driving stewardship and continuous improvement of social, economic, and environmental responsibility throughout the global seafood supply chain. The group added two new members in 2018 – North Atlantic, Inc. and Euclid Fish Company. Altogether, the alliance is made up of the following companies: Albion Farms & Fisheries in Vancouver, Fortune Fish & Gourmet in Chicago, Ipswich Shellfish Group in Boston, Santa Monica Seafood in Los Angeles, Seacore Seafood in Toronto, Seattle Fish Co. in Denver, J.J. McDonnell in Baltimore, Stavis Seafood in Boston, North Atlantic Inc. from Portland, Maine, and Euclid Fish Company from Cleveland. 

The companies making up Sea Pact have been recognized on the global stage as innovators in the realm of seafood sustainability, including at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit’s Seafood Champion Awards – a point of pride, said Johnson. 

“I can assuredly speak for everyone that’s engaged in Sea Pact that it’s a great privilege to be associated with this group of like-minded industry leaders which continues to build value by utilizing our resources and supply chain expertise, working together to jointly support projects and partnerships that are making a difference,” he said. 

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None