Vowing to give the community and consumers “the best Australian seafood that will be sustainably sourced," Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) launched “Our Pledge,” geared toward sustainable practices, in October.
SIA CEO Jane Lovell noted in an email to SeafoodSource that when SIA was formed two years ago, its members identified social license as a top priority.
“SIA has been working hard to develop an open and honest way to respond to community concerns and secure the future of the Australian seafood industry since then,” she said. “We asked the community and industry what was important to them and found strong similarities in the answers. We know our community wants to eat, and we want to provide great Australian seafood confident in the knowledge it is grown and harvested in a sustainable way."
Since the launch, companies such as Austral Fisheries, Raptis Seafoods, OceanWatch Australia, Sydney Fish Market, and Humpty Doo Barramundi have signed up to the pledge.
Lovell said Our Pledge serves as a way for the community and industry to work together to actively communicate and address critical issues involving seafood.
Through the pledge, she said, the community can be assured the Australian aquaculture and wild-catch industries are well-managed and sustainable.
Lovell said the SIA’s initiative has drawn inspiration from New Zealand’s "Tiaki Promise," where travelers pledge to protect the environment during their trip.
Our Pledge also took into heart the community sentiment work and annual stocktake.
"We are the Australian seafood industry and we are committed to putting the best Australian seafood on your table now and for generations to come," the pledge states.
The action steps behind the initiative include:
- actively caring for Australia's oceans and environment and working with others to do the same
- valuing people, looking after them, and keeping them safe
- respecting the seafood harvested and the wildlife interacted with
- being transparent and accountable for actions
- engaging with the community and listening to their concerns
- continually improving practices
Our Pledge, Lovell said, will be “more than just words and that every one of our statements can be backed up with facts and figures.”
The initiative will not only be promoted among industry partners – SIA will also conduct a community survey to establish baseline public perception "to keep track of the impact of ‘Our Pledge.'”
Photo courtesy of Seafood Industry Australia
