First Responsible Seafood Summit
USAID hosted the first Responsible Seafood Summit, gathering over 200 participants from the seafood industry, civil society organizations, and government agencies at the Novotel Manila Araneta City on September 14, 2023. This resource shares highlights from the summit.
Kickstarting the official celebration of the 60th Fish Conservation Week, the event served as a platform for industry players and other stakeholders to discuss responsible seafood sourcing (RSS) principles and practices, focusing on community development, market development, seafood traceability, and innovative technology solutions.
Through the USAID Fish Right Program, the RSS Standard has been developed for the Philippine context by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), a US-registered nonprofit. RSS sets environmentally and socially responsible seafood standards, supporting actions that reduce overfishing and illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The summit also launched the Better Seafood Philippines program, organized by the USAID Fish Right Program, that will further help businesses adopt the RSS standards. One highlight of the event is the celebration of milestones and industry partnerships under the BSP program since it was established in 2022. Seafood industry partners that have adopted RSS standards include Mayani, Fishta Seafood, Meliomar, SeaTrace International, Bogtong Fish Processors Association, among others.
