Moderator:
Kate Naughten, NOAA Fisheries
Speakers:
Danielle Blacklock, NOAA
Alexa Cole, NOAA
Janet Coit, NOAA
Paul Doremus, NOAA
Rick Spinrad, NOAA
NOAA Fisheries works closely with fishing and seafood stakeholders to ensure resilient marine fisheries in the U.S. and to strengthen the seafood industry. Ultimately, our goals include expanding domestic seafood supply, leveling the playing field on trade, and modernizing policies and infrastructure for a more efficient seafood supply chain. During this session, participants will hear from NOAA leadership about the agency’s top priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration, including supporting economic and environmental resiliency of our coastal communities by providing the seafood industry with the critical resources needed for generating greater demand for U.S. seafood.
Speaker(s)/Moderator(s):
Speaker: Gib Brogan, Northeast director, Oceana
Moderator: Sean Murphy, Editor, Seafood Source
Duration: 55 minutes
Speaker: Greg Brown, GDST Executive Director - Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability
The game-changing traceability standards issued in 2020 by the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST) are rapidly gaining industry adoption around the world, and the relevance of GDST to emerging regulations is becoming increasingly clear. As the GDST gains strength as an independent B2B platform, this panel will feature the GDST's new Executive Director and his vision for the future, while highlighting several leading companies whose implementation of the GDST standards illustrates the "new normal" of seafood traceability for the entire sector.
Moderator:
Chuck Anderson, Certified Quality Foods
Panelists:
Kyle Graser, Euro USA
Shawn Oliver, Giant Eagle
Casey Rutherford, Patagonia SeaFarms Inc.
Phil Walsh, LegitFish
Seafood is unlike any other protein, particularly in procurement. The right product is neither the most expensive nor the least expensive, but rather the product that will deliver or exceed budgeted profit. Correct procurement makes selling it easy and serving it a pleasure. The conference session will provide seafood novices with the fundamentals of procurement, veteran buyers with the procurement tools, methods, and protocols in place today, and the supply community with the immoveable expectations of today’s seafood buyers. Topics will include: How do logistics challenges affect procurement strategies? How does product cost inflation impact buying decisions? Additional topics addressed include wild vs. farmed sourcing strategies, fresh vs. frozen sourcing strategies, paying the right price, timely communications, visiting suppliers, the definition of a good supplier and the importance of integrity.
Introducing RISE, a Roadmap to Improve Seafood Ethics
Fishermen and coastal communities are increasingly experiencing shifts in fish resource abundance and distribution, likely related to changing ocean temperatures caused by climate change.
Speaker: Javier Garat, President - Europêche and ICFA
FAO talks about the new narrative concerning the fishing industry. In the conference, Javier Garat will talk about the reasons why seafood is the healthiest animal protein in the planet and with less carbon footprint in its production. He will explain why it is so important to contribute to world food security and to the fight against climate change. Garat will talk about the need to manage 100 % of the world fish stocks and the need to balance the conservation of marine biodiversity, the sustainable use of the natural resources and the food security. Furthermore, he will talk about the contribution of fishing industry to the SDG and how innovation is contributing to the sustainability of the industry.
Speaker: Howard Tang, CEO - Peritus Capital
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing has become a multi-billion-dollar behemoth for Wall Street and beyond. What was once a niche investment class can only be ignored by corporate titans, venture capitalists, and family offices at their peril. Sustainability-focus has become an investment commandment. The aquaculture industry has not been immune. The sector has been facing ever more scrutiny on a range of issues regarding poor fish welfare, the use of unsustainable raw materials, and its overall environmental impact. Investor pressure has pushed the industry towards more transparency and overall accountability with nearly every major aquaculture company publishing ESG metrics. Meanwhile, global aquaculture companies are taking environmental stewardship seriously by taking vocal stands against Amazon-sourced soy and by investing heavily in fish meal alternatives. Billions of dollars have also been poured into land-based initiatives like Atlantic Sapphire and Kingfish Zeeland, despite their complexity and frequent setbacks. It’s a tangible demonstration that investors are willing to endure challenges and volatility to see the promise of a locally produced fish that is more sustainable come to market. It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole in terms of ESG and sustainability for both investors and companies. This session will explore the most critical issues facing aquaculture today and what future issues are on the horizon. We’ll discuss how sustainability is pushing the industry to innovate and is challenging conventional shorter-term investment horizons from new production methods such as land-based farming and off-shoring to alternative feed ingredients for fish meal and soy.
Speakers: Rick Stein, VP of Fresh Foods - FMI (Food Marketing Institute); Guy Pizzuti, Seafood Category Manager – Publix; Jason Pride, Vice President - Meat and Seafood - Hy-Vee, Inc.; David Wier, Seafood Buyer / Merchandiser - Meijer, Inc
Session Description: FMI presents data to show how seafood at Supermarkets has performed over the last year. As consumers rushed to stores in March, April, and May and bought protein in unprecedented amounts, Seafood departments began to see a surge in seafood sales (both Frozen and Fresh). This session is a conversation with three distinct and top-tier retailers (Hy-Vee, Meijer, and Publix) Guy Pizzuti, Dave Wier, and Jason Pride. They describe the seafood department in their operations and how they have met consumer demand during the pandemic. They also address supply chain challenges and their view on the upcoming year. This session is a frank discussion about how supermarket seafood departments perform and how consumers are changing the way they purchase seafood.
Moderator: Peter Handy, Bristol Seafoods
Speakers:
Lilani Dunn, Bristol Bay
Josephine Theal, Delaware North
How does our industry appeal to a diverse group of folx? Where will new talent come from? What are the types of jobs that are available in this global industry? How do we paint the picture of an industry that is fun, exciting, global, challenging and the problems that need to be solved with people that bring a fresh lens to our industry while exploring diversity, inclusion, and equity?