Jul 2, 2014

The new Fishery Improvement Project resource guides you through steps for creating a sustainable seafood supply chain.
By: Jeanne von Zastrow, Senior Director for Sustainability, Food Marketing Institute

The Disney movie Finding Nemo features a clownfish named Marlin involved in a desperate search for his lost son.  Marlin’s determined quest takes him on a number of adventures involving sharks, turtles, jellyfish and he even forms a life-long friendship with a memory-challenged blue tang named Dory. The things Marlin learns on his epic journey frame some helpful lessons for food retailers looking to undertake Fishery Improvement Projects—the path might be long, obstacles will arise, you’ll need support along the way,  but in the end you’ll be better off and will have new, if unexpected, friends.

To help retailers and seafood suppliers on their journey towards a seafood supply chain that utilizes sustainable fishery and aquaculture practices, the Food Marketing Institute has released the Fishery Improvement Projects: How Retailers and the Supply Chain Advance Seafood Sustainability. This free resource provides a step-by-step guide to developing a fishery improvement project that delivers results.

Unlike Marlin, who had no roadmap on his journey, this report provides guidance from beginning to end on the adventure of starting a Fishery Improvement Project.  It includes:

  • Plan development and implementation
  • Educating and engaging stakeholders
  • Determining your goal
  • Managing the project
  • Fishery reform

Created with expertise from FMI’s Sustainable Seafood Committee (SSC) and written by sustainability management and communications consultant, Nadine Bartholomew, this latest guidance has best practices and case studies among retailers, suppliers and non-governmental organizations.

With determination, support from stakeholders and this new resource, retailers can undertake Fishery Improvement Projects that will help us toward a sustainable seafood supply for the future. For more information and to download a free copy, visit www.FMIi.org/Industry-Topics/Sustainability.