The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable (Squid SR) has published details of its participants’ squid sourcing in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), becoming the first precompetitive collaboration to participate in the project.
The Squid SR focuses on engaging supply chains to support the long-term sustainability of squid fisheries. The roundtable is composed of international importers and buyers of squid sourced mainly from Asia-Pacific and South American squid fisheries. The roundtable has published an ODP profile containing a list of the fisheries supplying squid to 21 out of the 22 Squid SR participants in 2023, alongside information on the sustainability and environmental impact of those fisheries.
The Squid SR participants that have voluntarily shared information about their sourcing are: Aquastar, Beaver Street Fisheries, Cabomar, Confremar Group, Congalsa, Export Packers, Fortune International, GlobalpeZ, Grupo Alfrio, Grupo Profand, High Liner Foods, Lanzal Productos del Mar S.L., Lund’s Fisheries/Sun Coast Calamari, Lyons Seafoods, Netuno USA, PanaPesca, Quirch Foods, Santa Monica Seafood, Seafresh Group, Simplot Australia Pty, Ltd., and Wofco.
Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project, said, “We are pleased to welcome the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable to the Ocean Disclosure Project as the first initiative of its kind to publicly disclose sourcing information through the project. By participating in the ODP and making the details of their seafood sourcing publicly available, the members of the roundtable are advancing the transparency of their squid products. We hope that this will support the aims of the roundtable to improve the sustainability of global squid fisheries.”
Carmen Gonzalez-Valles Martinez, Director of supply chain roundtables at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership said, “The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable has taken a significant step in disclosing its squid sourcing for the first time in 2024. By participating in the ODP, we have gained a better understanding of the Squid SR’s representativeness in the global squid supply chain and its leverage by fishery. As a result, we will be actively seeking to engage new companies and new markets in the Squid SR to further advance its leverage in global squid supply chains.”
In compiling this sourcing information, some SR participants encountered challenges in identifying fisheries characteristics such as vessel flags or specific fisheries regions, highlighting the impact of international market requirements that allow imported squid products to be labelled as Squids nei. In these cases, a precautionary approach has been applied to the information disclosed in the ODP profile by identifying bigger regions. SR participant companies have committed to improve their traceability and conduct due diligence protocols to evaluate the risks in their supply chains.
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 46 companies from around the world have participated, including major retailers, fish feed manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and meal kit and subscription food delivery companies.
The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable’s full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/global-squid-supply-chain-roundtable