Driving Responsible Seafood Practices Across the Supply Chain
Bluer Seas employs a comprehensive supply chain approach to foster relationships along the seafood supply chain, thereby reinforcing commitments to the Responsible Seafood Sourcing (RSS) Standard. This standard is designed to promote local fisheries development, strengthen national markets for responsibly sourced seafood, and acknowledge non-certified fisheries for their improvement efforts.
Developing
seafood value
chain
There are a lot of fishing communities that are sourcing responsibly, but may need help accessing more market linkages. We empower them towards supply chain equity through:
- Strengthening POs and women
- Food safety trainings and certifications
- Vetting for infrastructure, equipment, facility, logistics, and technology support
- Marketing and awareness raising
15 Communities
involved
What they fish
Where they are
Bogtong Fish Processors Association
(BFPA)
Location
Commodity
Story
Bogtong, Busuanga, Palawan (view on map)
Fresh-Chilled Fish
Busuanga Champion Communities:
Building Mutually Beneficial Partnerships on Responsible Seafood Sourcing Busuanga is home to the Concepcion-Sagrada-Bogtong (CSB) Marine Reserve, a 616-hectare area of mangroves, seagrasses, and corals. This reserve was awarded as the Best Managed Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Para El Mar Awards twice. Thanks to the strong commitment of the local government and the environmental champion communities, they continuously combat illegal fishing and reforest their mangroves. The champion communities behind the MPA, such as the Bogtong Fish Processors Association (BFPA), were supported by USAID Fish Right by improving post-harvest processing of seafood and facilitating direct linkages to premium markets in the local tourism industry and Better Seafood Philippines (BSP) partners in Metro Manila. This pioneering project, also supported by the local government of Busuanga and Department of Trade and Industry Region IV-B, through a shared service facility, is a testament to the impact that multi-sectoral partnerships can generate. As Fish Right and BSP’s first showcase of Responsible Seafood Sourcing (RSS), BFPA and their supply chains, which include fishers from Calauit Island, have been assessed against the RSS Standard and have integrated RSS principles into their operations. Currently, the group is selling about 300 to 500 kilos of processed, responsibly caught fish per month.
– Fredel Mued. Vice Chairman, Nurunutan Yang Tagbanua Tung Calawit May Quezon
“Since we started practicing RSS here in the community, we have seen that legal compliance has an impact on the sustainability of our natural resources. It turns out that the value of fish products, especially octopus, can be increased if you are RSS-compliant. When we get a good price for an octopus product, we don’t need to catch a lot.”
Watch this video to learn more.
“This project has been a great help to us. We hope it will continue to prosper so we can keep on working here.”
Private sector
engagement
Working with Seafood Companies
The path toward seafood sustainability is paved by the collaborations we make. By working hand-in-hand with companies that share the same advocacy with us, we:
Institute business systems and policies that support RSS
- It enables seafood businesses to take part in reducing the impacts of fishing and fish farming by sourcing responsibly.
- It allows suppliers, processors, and end-buyers to contribute to improving the health of the oceans and the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
Incentivize compliance with RSS
- By working with all seafood supply chain actors, we aim to shift the demand towards responsibly sourced and sustainable seafood, creating incentives for fishing practices to improve over time.
Two years into pioneering RSS assessments, Fishta has launched its product line featuring 100% traceable and locally sourced seafood. Their target is for at least 20% of their wild-caught seafood to come from direct, sustainable sources.
Robinsons bridges the gap between responsible business practices and consumer accessibility, bringing locally caught, sustainably sourced seafood to its more than 2,300 stores nationwide.
Marriott Hotel and Newport World Resorts have set a goal to advance Responsible Seafood Sourcing (RSS) in the Philippines by providing separate bidding process to responsibly produced products and benchmarking against the RSS Standard.
Alliances with other
stakeholders
Fostering
Partnerships
We also foster strong partnerships with various civil society organizations, government agencies, and technology providers that help protect our oceans, achieve food security, and empower local fishing communities.
