Sustainable Food Laboratory

NEWS! January 27-30, 2008 - RFA Hosted a workshop at the 2008 Seafood Choices Alliance Summit in Barcelona: "Small Scale and Artisanal Fishing: Key actors of the responsible management of fisheries" Moderated by Bruno Correard, Coordinator of the RFA.

Through living examples worldwide, the RFA intends to illustrate the idea that artisanal/small scale fishers can be positive contributors to a responsible management of the fish chain -from the fishery, to the consumer- as they consider, by nature, all aspects of the sustainability: environmental, but also economic and social issues. Iceland – Artisanal fishers and responsible management of the fishery: example of the KRAV certification. Arthur Bogason, WFF & NASBO organization. Chile & Québec – Fish products from traditional fishing: interesting alternatives for European fish market. Pedro Avendano & François Poulin, WFF. Lake Victoria (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya) – Nile perch fishery: social and economic responsibility of Northern countries. Margaret Nakato, WFF & Katosi Woman.

European Ecolabel on Responsible Fishing. The European Commission publicly confirmed at the Seafood Choices Alliance Summit in Barcelona (January 28, 2008) that the European Ecolabel on Responsible Fishing is a priority for the Fishery Department. Final decisions shall be taken in 2009. The RFA has been cooperating on this subject as a member of the European Commission's expert group since 2006. See public declaration by Mr Rambaud's, Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, European Commission.

Fight against IUU Fishing. The RFA was asked by the European Parliament to comment the European Commission's proposal on a "new strategy for the community to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing". Fish Commission, European Parliament, February 27, 2008. EC's proposal in English (EN), French (FR), and Spanish (ES). See pictures and a ppt of the presentation here.

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.