The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced a partnership this week with celebrity chef Bobby Chinn, to promote sustainable seafood production.
Chinn and the WWF announced the partnership on Tuesday at the chef’s restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam. Chinn announced a menu at his restaurant featuring responsibly-sourced products. Much of the seafood in the dishes comes from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified companies.
“More people need to understand the direct link between the seafood on their plate and the state of our ocean’s resources,” Chinn said. “I hope that through collaborative efforts like these, we can make a bigger impact on the way people choose seafood.”
Chinn and the WWF are trying to put a spotlight on the Coral Triangle, an area of the South Pacific known for reef fish. Fishermen in that area often export reef fish to Vietnam, but the region’s stocks have been suffering from depletion.
“Without urgent transformative measures from fishing companies, seafood retailers, and consumers, fish stocks will continue to decline and we may not have enough fish resources left in the near future to secure our food and livelihood,” said Ngo Tien Chuong, WWF Vietnam’s Aquaculture Coordinator.
The WWF has been working in the region to help improve fishing practices and encourage certification for fisheries. According to WWF, the group helped the Ben Tre clam fishery to be the first in the region to get MSC certification in 2009. WWF noted the export price for the clams went up by as much as 50 percent after the certification.
“This is a new model of cooperation and we hope that it will multiply and be applied to other industries in Vietnam,” said Tran Thu Nga, chairwoman of Ben Tre Fishery Association. “The success of this model will help Vietnamese industries, especially fisheries and aquaculture, to achieve its target toward sustainable development.”
