Sustainable Food Laboratory

On November 13 & 14, 2008 the RFA, and Fish & Catering Sector conducted a workshop in Paris with the following outcomes:

Creation of an international 'artisanal fishing' logo as requested by Retail & Catering/Food Service sectors. To achieve this, a Responsible Fishing Alliance -RFA- working group as been set up:

1. Mr. Arthur Bogason, NASBO/WFF => Fishing sector;
2. Mrs. Monique Kourcia, Gelazur => Fish trade;
3. Ms. Séverine Heyman, Elior Group => Catering/Food service;
4. Mr. Gilles Gaebel, Carrefour Group => Retail;
5. Mr. Bruno Corréard, RFA => Project coordinator.

Work on indicators as presented by Risteco & Agrocampus. The following indicators have been proposed:

• Life Cycle Assessment -as already conducted on Icelandic Cod frozen fillet-;
• Energy Efficiency -as detailed on the Agrocampus REPAS project-.
• To achieve this, an appropriate pan-organizations working group shall be set up in the beginning of 2009 (RFA, WFF, Risteco, Agrocampus...).

Nutritional profile of artisanal/industrial fish products, based on the work of Dr Pezzana and his team. The choice of the analyse fish products will be made by an appropriate working group established in the beginning of 2009.

Fight against Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing (illegal fishing), in cooperation with the EU organizations (EU Commission, EU Parliament). Additional information to be sent soon.

Next meeting of the FCS meeting: Slow Fish Conference, April 17-20, Genoa, Italy:  http://www.slowfish.it/welcome_eng.lasso

  For more news click here

Background:

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.

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.