Filters
Product Categories
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.
What's Happening with US Aquaculture Industry Advocacy
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?
Speaker: Chris Coulter, CEO – GlobeScan; Marife Casem, Senior Manager, Sustainability – Walmart; Logan Soraci, Brand Manager - Brand Development Frozen Prepared Seafood - Conagra Brands; Kristen Stevens, Senior Marketing Manager - Marine Stewardship Council, USA
Session Description: Before COVID began to have an impact on the global health of people and economies, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) gained a good understanding of the conscious seafood consumer– or those who prioritize sustainability in their shopping habits – through GlobeScan consumer surveys, and an understanding of how to reach them, and their motivations for buying seafood. Early 2020 survey results showed that people are increasingly concerned about ocean health and the impacts of pollution, overfishing, and climate change. We learned that choosing sustainably sourced seafood rose in importance as a purchase motivator among seafood shoppers in the last two years, and that consumers are taking actions to help the ocean and are willing to do more for a sustainable future.
Speakers: Steven Hedlund, Communications & Events Manager - Global Aquaculture Alliance; Greg Brown, SVP, Operations and Strategic Development - Global Aquaculture Alliance; Efrain Calderon, Head of Certification Assurance Team - Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC); Antonio Hervás, Program Manager for the MSC Accreditation Program – ASI; Libby Woodhatch, Executive Chair - MarinTrust
Session Description: It’s been just over a year since COVID-19 forced seafood certification programs to rethink how audits are conducted. With pandemic-inflicted travel restrictions limiting auditors’ ability to conduct onsite audits of aquaculture production sites and fisheries, certification programs worked with certification bodies to shift to partial or full remote audits while remaining in compliance with accreditation bodies. What’s working? What’s not working? What’s the future hold? Representatives of the world’s leading seafood certification programs discuss the advantages and disadvantages of remote audits, the need to maintain confidence and integrity in auditing, and the efficiencies that certification programs are realizing through remote audits.
This session will dive into the work of leading seafood company Nueva Pescanova and their blockchain-based traceability platform, IBM Food Trust, using the GDST standards to achieve end to end supply chain traceability and system interoperability. Nueva Pescanova has been focusing on GDST implementation in two key operations: shrimp fishing in Argentina and cultivation of vannamei prawns in Ecuador, using a highly innovative approach. In this session, Nueva Pescanova, IBM Food Trust and the GDST Secretariat will share valuable insights into this work and discuss the future of implementation for Nueva Pescanova and other leading companies across the seafood industry.
