Chris Ninenes is the CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Brad Spear is Global Policy Director for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. ASC and SFP are Collaboration of certification and evaluation.
Worldwide, seafood production supports the livelihoods of more than 600 million people and feeds more than 3 billion people. However, there are significant social responsibility issues in the supply chains of wild and farmed seafood around the world.
These challenges include forced and child labor, exorbitant working hours, unsafe working conditions, low incomes, unequal access to markets, discrimination, gender inequality, and impacts on local and indigenous communities. This includes resource use disputes. Most importantly, it affects the lives and livelihoods of employed workers, small-scale fishermen and small-scale farmers. The reputational, financial and legal implications for seafood businesses can also be significant.
We share widespread concern about these social responsibility challenges in the seafood industry. These issues and their drivers are as complex as the seafood supply chain. Supporting the individuals and communities that benefit from and are affected by seafood production requires a wide range of individual and collective, regulatory and voluntary action.
of Collaboration of certification and evaluation is created interactive data tools It compiles and displays data from government and civil society sources on human rights violations and risks in the seafood sector in 92 seafood-producing countries. Data analysis shows that as of August 2023, 65% of assessed countries have documented evidence of forced labor, child labor and human trafficking in the seafood sector, while 16% of assessed countries have: It was found that there are significant risk factors for human rights violations, such as: Flags of convenience and evidence of illegal fishing. Additionally, 97 percent of the countries assessed are not signatories to all major International Labor Organization conventions and global conventions demonstrating a commitment to uphold international standards of human rights protection. Although this tool does not track production by fishery or farm, it helps companies operating in countries with documented evidence and risks understand social issues in the fisheries and farms they source from. It is your job to do so and promote improvements as necessary.
All seafood businesses have legal and moral obligations to protect human rights.of United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights “The responsibility to respect human rights is a global standard of behavior expected of all companies wherever they operate. [This responsibility] This applies to all companies, regardless of size, sector, operating status, ownership, or structure. ” With the evolution of the law, that responsibility is shifting to legal requirements, particularly regarding transparency and human rights due diligence.
The UN Guiding Principles define three specific steps seafood companies can take to protect human rights.
- A policy commitment to fulfill our responsibility to respect human rights.
- A human rights due diligence process to explain how to identify, prevent, mitigate and address human rights impacts.
- A process for redressing the adverse human rights impacts caused or contributed to by human rights violations.
To be effective, companies need to assess their internal processes and engage with stakeholders and stakeholders across the supply chain, including trade unions and human rights experts. This includes meaningful, direct and ongoing engagement with all those involved in seafood production, including employees, small-scale fishers and small-scale farmers. Additionally, seafood companies believe it is essential to advocate for stronger protections for the people who produce seafood and their communities, both to national governments and local policy makers.
Many organizations protect and benefit the rights of fishermen, farmers, and seafood workers, while contributing practical initiatives for businesses. A vibrant community of human rights, labor rights, and workers organizations has decades of experience in strengthening human rights protections in seafood, agriculture, and other sectors. Their expertise must guide broader action in the seafood sector.
Our organization offers: be various tools This includes risk indicators, certification programs, research and on-the-ground improvement efforts that help support different parts of the seafood supply chain to act socially responsible.Along with her two other members of the Certification and Evaluation Collaboration, we Fisheries trade action guidelines This includes additional details and resources for your business. This guide is most relevant to companies across the supply chain that purchase seafood, but seafood producers may also find this resource and recommendations useful.
There is a clear responsibility for all seafood companies to act to address social responsibility in their operations and supply chains. Our organization supports seafood businesses at every level of the supply chain, Drive positive change for seafood workers, small-scale fishers, small-scale farmers and their communities.
Photo courtesy of Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
