Fish is an increasingly important food item as well as the basis of the livelihood of millions of people world-wide. The manner in which fishing and aquaculture are conducted has a tremendous impact on the marine environment and the social and economic well-being of some of the world’s poorest people. As the global demand for fish increases it is crucial that fisheries are managed in a responsible way. And yet, more than half of the most important wild fish stocks around the world are threatened today by over-exploitation. In certain areas, continuation of the policies and fishing practices of the last few decades is neither responsible nor sustainable.
NEWS! July 8, 2008 - RFA Recently Added Two New Members:
Emedo (Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization) is an NGO that works in the fields of economic development and environment management near Lake Victoria (Mwanza city, Tanzania). Its objective is to enable rural communities to achieve their sustainable economic development by strengthening their participation and representation into the local economic network as well as by getting an environmental education. The organization is helping rural populations –men, women, young people- find their place in the society, get better training, organize themselves in networks, get heard from other stakeholders, and find alternative economic activities.
Gelazur is a family fish trade company established in the South of France (Nice) in1960. Gelazur is much specialized in frozen seafood products and offer a very wide range of products including fish fillets, crustaceans, cephalopods, andmolluscs. The company imports seafood products from all over the world from selected processors: Asia, Africa, Americas,Europe, etc. Their main customers are:supermarket chains, wholesalers, catering and home service companies, fish processors, freezing centers. Gelazur is pretty much interested in strengthening its business with artisanal/small-scale fishers. Website: www.gelazur.com
July 28, 2008-Elior reinforces its commitments into Responsible Fishing
Elior group, #3 European Catering/Food Service company reinforces its commitments into Responsible Fishing.
Key member of the Responsible Fishing Alliance (RFA), Elior has recently taken the following measures:
- Cooperation with French research institutes (Ifremer, Inra);
- Removal of endangered species in its restaurants including Sharks, Orange Roughy, Grenadier;
- Elaboration of a seafood guide to help restaurants' managers achieving responsible fish buying.
Press article: French, English
Last update – Lake Victoria Project.
The Lake Victoria Project is one of the emblematic initiatives of the Responsible Fishing Alliance. Started in 2006, the project aims to help restoring hope around Lake Victoria (Uganda, Tanzania, and then Kenya). Taking into account the existing efforts, the vision of the Lake Victoria Project is to have, in a maximum of 10 years, fishermen and women community based organizations proud of their status, and capable of initiating and conducting viable economic activities, using the available natural resources in a sustainable manner, for the improvement of their living conditions. To achieve this, several members of the RFA have been involved into the project: Katosi Women Development -Uganda- and Emedo –Tanzania- (supportive NGOs to local communities), Carrefour Group (retail sector), WADAF (financial coordination of the project), and soon Elior Group (Catering & Food Service sector) and Gelazur (fish trade). For more details, please have a look at the Lake Victoria Project Summary.
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Responsible Fishing Alliance was publicly launched during the Economic Business Summit in Brussels on March 15, 2007.
The Responsible Fishing Alliance (RFA) brings together fishers' associations, public and private organizations and businesses. The organization currently has 11 members including NGO's, universities, Europe's largest retailer, Carrefour and its newest member, the packaging company Multivac.
The Alliance complements other seafood initiatives such as the Marine Stewardship Council by focusing not on certifying but on responsible business-to-business seafood trade. Its members work in development and supply-chain projects that strive to create environments where fishing and fish farming are done in ways that protect the environment, support the social and economic health of small fishing communities, are economically viable, and help meet the increasing demand for fish. The aim is to increase cooperation, environmental awareness and mutual understanding along the seafood value chain.
The RFA is active in several locations through concrete projects in the field:
Cooperation with the European Commission's work on a Responsible Fishing Ecolabel, Brussels
The RFA is working with the Expert Group of the European Commission (EC) to include economic and social criteria in the technical framing of the European Responsible Fishing ecolabel. The RFA brings to the process recommendations of the private sector and civil society. Read more...
Responsibly Produced Nile Perch from Lake Victoria, Africa
The RFA is working with the Carrefour Group and local groups in Uganda and Tanzania to establish a responsibly produced Nile Perch supply chain that will protect the fish resource and fund the development of appropriate alternative activities through micro-credit and other local programs. More...
Integrated Coastal Management for Small-Scale Fisheries and Aquaculture, Chile
RFA members from CONAPACH, a Chilean national fish harvester association, and the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers (WFF) draw on best practices from around the world to create an integrated coastal management approach to fisheries and aquaculture in Chile. The establishment of a fishing center will create opportunities for organizations representing small scale fisheries to have direct contact with retailers, food service companies and other customers, helping fishermen get a right price for their products and providing them with more options than selling their fish for fish meal or fish oil.
Reacquisition of Individual Transferable Fishing Quotas for Artisan Fishers, Iceland
Focusing on the North Atlantic, RFA members are working with the National Association of Small Boat Owners in Iceland to establish a fund in Iceland for purchasing fishing quotas from high-impact boats and moving those quotas to boat owners using low-impact fishing techniques that produce a high quality product. The initiative will also build agreements between fishermen and retailers for product differentiation and transparency along the supply chain to consumers.
Building of a Responsible Fish Chain, Switzerland
The RFA aims to engage stakeholders in working together to help build bridges between both the different actors at various levels of the value-chain and the initiatives related to responsible fishing that they might have. Read more: French, German
An article about the Responsbile Fishing Alliance was published on intrafish.com (English) and intrafish.no (Norwegian) on March 16, 2007.
Fisheries Team
Responsible Fishing Alliance