Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative

Last updated
Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative
Formation2013;12 years ago (2013)
TypeNon-governmental organization
FocusSustainable seafood
Headquarters Haarlem, Netherlands
Website www.ourgssi.org

The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) is a non-governmental organization that works to advocate for sustainable seafood through public-private partnerships. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Established in 2013 and headquartered in the Netherlands, [4] the GSSI is a partner with the United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, government agencies, NGOs, and seafood companies around the world. [5] [6] [7] The mission of the organization is to "ensure confidence in the supply and promotion of certified seafood as well as promote improvement efforts in seafood sustainability globally." [8] [9] GSSI maintains a global benchmark tool which provides formal recognition of the various seafood certification programs around the world. [10] [11] [12] In 2021, the organization was a signatory to the Shanghai Declaration on Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater populations under controlled or semi-natural conditions and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Aquaculture is also a practice used for restoring and rehabilitating marine and freshwater ecosystems. Mariculture, commonly known as marine farming, is aquaculture in seawater habitats and lagoons, as opposed to freshwater aquaculture. Pisciculture is a type of aquaculture that consists of fish farming to obtain fish products as food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food and Agriculture Organization</span> Specialised agency of the United Nations

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to "let there be bread". It was founded on 16 October 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishery</span> Raising or harvesting fish

Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place. Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both in freshwater waterbodies and the oceans. About 500 million people worldwide are economically dependent on fisheries. 171 million tonnes of fish were produced in 2016, but overfishing is an increasing problem, causing declines in some populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overfishing</span> Removal of a species of fish from water at a rate that the species cannot replenish

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally, resulting in the species becoming increasingly underpopulated in that area. Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, wetlands, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems. Types of overfishing include growth overfishing, recruitment overfishing, and ecosystem overfishing. Overfishing not only causes negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but also reduces fish production, which subsequently leads to negative social and economic consequences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishing industry</span> Economic branch

The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, subsistence and commercial fishing, as well as the related harvesting, processing, and marketing sectors. The commercial activity is aimed at the delivery of fish and other seafood products for human consumption or as input factors in other industrial processes. The livelihood of over 500 million people in developing countries depends directly or indirectly on fisheries and aquaculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteleg shrimp</span> Species of crustacean

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecolabel</span> Labeling systems for food and consumer products

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seafood Watch</span> Consumer advisory list

Seafood Watch is a sustainable seafood advisory list, and has influenced similar programs around the world. It is best known for developing science-based seafood recommendations that consumers, chefs, and business professionals use to inform their seafood purchasing decisions.

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The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) is a private organization that works as a "coalition of action" from the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and brings together retailers and brand owners (manufacturers) from across the CGF membership. The GFSI operates under multi-stakeholder governance, with the objective to create "an extended food safety community to oversee food safety standards for businesses and help provide access to safe food for people everywhere". GFSI's work in benchmarking and harmonization aims to foster mutual acceptance of GFSI-recognized certification programs across the industry, with the ambition to enable a "once certified, accepted everywhere" approach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee on Sustainability Assessment</span>

The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) is a global consortium of development institutions that work collaboratively to advance sustainability learning with systematic and science-based measurement. COSA applies a pragmatic and collective approach for using scientific methods to develop indicators, tools, and technologies to measure the distinct social, environmental, and economic impacts and are applied in performance monitoring, evaluation, return on investment (ROI) calculation, and impact assessment. COSA has a public mission to open its scientific methods and metrics up to widespread use.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living Oceans Society</span> Canadian environmental organization

Living Oceans Society is a Canadian environmental organization that has been a leader in the effort to protect Canada's oceans since 1998. It is based in Sointula, British Columbia, with a satellite office in Vancouver, British Columbia. Living Oceans Society's vision states that: "Canada's oceans are sustainably managed and thriving with abundant sea life that supports vibrant and resilient communities."

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fisheries:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue economy</span> Economy based on exploitation and preservation of the marine environment

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Gfresh is a global online business-to business seafood marketplace with integrated shipping, payment, customs and quality assurance services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate-smart agriculture</span> System for agricultural productivity

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 2</span> Global goal to end hunger by 2030

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Blue foods, also known as aquatic foods, are plants and animals sourced from aquatic environments and are suitable for human consumption. More than 2500 species of marine and freshwater animals, aquatic plants, and algae have been identified as relevant to the human diet.

References

  1. Bush, Simon R.; Oosterveer, Peter (2019-01-08). Governing Sustainable Seafood. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-70246-7.
  2. Pradhan, Naresh C.; Cai, Junning; Stohs, Stephen M. (2020-11-06). Seafood Sustainability - Series I. MDPI. ISBN   978-3-03936-294-3.
  3. Savage, Steven. "How Sustainable Farming On Land And Sea Can Work Together To Meet Our Growing Need For Protein". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  4. "A Global Partnership supporting the operationalization of internationally agreed codes and guidelines for the seafood sector | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  5. "Our Partners". GSSI. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  6. The Role of Certification in Rewarding Sustainable Fishing: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session. U.S. Government Printing Office. 2014.
  7. THE 2030 AGENDA AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: THE CHALLENGE FOR AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2018. ISBN   978-92-5-109928-5.
  8. "What we do". GSSI. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  9. Yang, Tseming; Telesetsky, Anastasia; Harmon-Walker, Lin; Percival, Robert V. (2019-09-13). Comparative and Global Environmental Law and Policy. Aspen Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5438-1518-4.
  10. "Benchmarking". GSSI. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  11. SEAFOOD CERTIFICATION AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES:: FOCUS ON ASIA. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2018. ISBN   978-92-5-109993-3.
  12. Develle, Laurent (2023-05-19). "How the GSSI's Seafood MAP is supporting sustainable seafood". The Fish Site. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  13. Report of the Global Conference on Aquaculture for Food and Sustainable Development: Shanghai, the People's Republic of China, 22–25 September 2021. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2022-04-08. ISBN   978-92-5-135986-0.