The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has announced the appointment of Thai Union Group Fish Procurement Director Tony Lazazzara as chair of its board of directors.
ISSF is a global coalition of seafood companies, fisheries experts, scientific and environmental organizations, promoting science-based initiatives for long-term tuna conservation and the advancement of tuna fishery management to Marine Stewardship Council certification standards.
Lazazzara previously worked in various roles for Heinz European Seafood, including as general manager for Indian Ocean tuna based in the Seychelles, general manager for European facilities based in Portugal and France, and MW brands supply chain director, before the company was acquired by Thai Union. Prior to joining Heinz, he worked for Starkist and Palmera.
“I am excited to welcome Tony Lazazzara as our new chair. Tony’s deep industry knowledge and can-do attitude are an ideal match for ISSF’s practical approach to improving the sustainability of global tuna fisheries,” ISSF President Susan Jackson said in a press release. “We are fortunate to have a tenured and well-respected industry leader at our helm. I look forward to working with him.”
Lazazzara succeeds Kevin Bixler, previously Thai Union’s global director of group fish procurement and ISSF chair since April 2021. Bixler was hired as the CEO of Peter Pan Seafood in October 2022.
“I am honored to follow in the footsteps of my colleague, Mr. Bixler,” Lazazzara said. “I hope to make this transition as smooth as possible, while ensuring continued progress and expanding new efforts towards sustainability for tuna fisheries and the marine ecosystem. I am excited to continue working with leaders in the seafood sustainability space, and I am eager to see what we can achieve together.”
Currently, the ISSF board includes:
- Transform Aqorau, Pacific fisheries expert and former CEO of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA)
- Marine Stewardship Council Chief Science and Standards Officer Rohan Currey
- WWF-International Lead Conservationist Giuseppe Di Carlo
- American Tunaboat Association Executive Director William Gibbons-Fly
- Cepesca Secretary General Javier Garat
- Marine Stewardship Council Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager Bill Holden
- ISSF President Susan Jackson
- Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Policy Advisor Ichiro Nomura
- ISSF Vice President of Science Victor Restrepo
- University of Wollongong Professor Martin Tsamenyi, former Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security director
Separately, ISSF has announced the addition of Monterey Bay Aquarium Global Ocean Conservation Principal Investigator Andre Boustany to its environmental stakeholder committee. Boustany replaces Monterey Bay Aquarium Vice President of Global Ocean Initiatives Jennifer Dianto-Kemmerly.
“We welcome the continued contributions of the Monterey Bay Aquarium as an invaluable partner in our work toward sustainable fisheries,” Jackson said.
ISSF’s environmental stakeholder committee provides advice to the ISSF Board of Directors on issues to consider before taking action on specific sustainability efforts, including the adoption of ISSF conservation measures. The committee now includes:
- Shark Advocates International Founder Sonja Fordham
- The Nature Conservancy Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and Strategic Initiatives Ben Gilmer
- Marine Stewardship Council Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager Bill Holden
- FishWise Traceability Division Director Sara Lewis
- World Wildlife Fund-US Tunas and Other Multilateral Fisheries Lead Vishwanie Maharaj
- Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Tuna and Large Pelagic Species Science Lead Alexia Morgan
- Global Tuna Alliance Executive Director Tom Pickerell
Photo courtesy of Tony Lazazzara/LinkedIn
