SFP announced today the transition to industry of its last Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), completing a five-year process of moving the organization from a FIP implementer to one that can support the seafood industry in leading improvement itself. This week, management of the Gulf of California Industrial Shrimp FIP has been handed over to various industrial partners connected with the project – the last FIP directly managed by SFP.
From the outset, SFP has always advocated for industrial stakeholders to take the lead on FIPs and related projects, but many of SFP’s original ventures involved the organization starting and even maintaining FIPs on its own. Since 2012, SFP has been on a mission to transfer all of its improvement projects to industry and to promote industry leadership whenever possible.
“As of now, SFP is no longer directly managing any improvement projects,” said Jim Cannon, SFP’s Founder and CEO. “Instead, we now only operate as an advocate and advisor to the seafood industry as stakeholders initiate and implement improvement projects themselves. Promoting this model of industry-led improvement has always been a principal part of SFP’s mission and the seafood industry is ready to take on the challenge. Industry must lead from now on. ”
He continued:
“Fishery improvement is only sustainable in the long term if it is led by the seafood industry. NGOs have a valuable role in helping FIPs to get going but they lack the money and authority to see every project through to a successful completion. Only when improvement projects are part of the seafood industry DNA will they go viral and deliver a completely sustainable supply chain.”
SFP continues to work, as it always has, with more than 30 corporate partners who represent key buyers of the world’s seafood, and offers guidance and data to support future sustainability policies.