Annual Report

Our Vision

A world that embraces the role of responsible seafood in meeting global nutrition needs.

Our Mission

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances (demonstration).

Still Crazy After All These Years

Dear fellow responsible seafood enthusiasts,

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, famously said, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently … They push the human race forward … The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” This is the spirit of activism and mission that has driven the Global Seafood Alliance since its founding 25 years ago. With your support, we haven’t been daunted by those who said it couldn’t be done. We just took the first steps, adjusted as needed, and then took the next and the next. The journey continues, but can GSA sustain this culture and mission over time, even as decades pass and iconic leaders retire?

At the end of December 2021, longtime CEO Wally Stevens retired and COO Brian Perkins stepped into his role. At this, the 25th anniversary of GSA, I’m pleased to report that the spirit and mission are alive and well. Brian is pressing forward with strong core programs and exciting new initiatives. Let me mention a few.

GSA is developing the standards, systems and infrastructure to encourage widespread adoption of traceability systems. This will allow buyers, regulators and consumers instant access to information about provenance and sustainability. It will also allow consumers to learn more about the story behind the product, and seafood has amazing stories to tell!

Also under development are new leading edge "Vanguard" standards that are being designed as "bolt-ons" to existing Best Aquaculture Practices standards to show a higher level of achievement in critical areas.

Thanks again for all your support,
George W. Chamberlain

GeorgeWChamberlain_signature

Finally, GSA continues to support the mission of The Center for Responsible Seafood through collaboration on education and training and through projects such as revitalizing smallholder black tiger shrimp farming in Asia, enhancing animal welfare, improving recovery and utilization of seafood waste and conserving critically endangered hammerhead sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

We’ve come a long way in 25 years, and we’re still crazy enough to think we can change the world. There’s so much opportunity to help seafood production grow responsibly to its full potential!

GeorgeWChamberlain

New look, new name,
same approach

Introducing the Global Seafood Alliance

“Our group’s evolution and growth is continuing. GAA has officially become the Global Seafood Alliance, a major turning point in our history as we seek to broaden our reach in the seafood industry. The same approach we took to building the world-leading Best Aquaculture Practices certification program – as well as our events, publications, and educational content – will be applied to an exciting new world for us with Best Seafood Practices. As we enter this new era of operations, starting with certifying responsible fishing vessels, we do so with great respect for the traditions and heritage of commercial fishing communities around the world. We hope to learn and grow alongside them.”

Brian Perkins, GSA CEO

Membership

Advancing responsible seafood is why we get up in the morning, but a challenge this big requires collaboration

That’s why we have created a membership program for aquaculture and seafood enthusiasts, just like you. Join our community and support our efforts in educating about and advocating for responsible seafood practices.

45+

Corporate Members

7500+^*

Total membership
program
*includes: individual and corporate members, as well as certification and strategic partners

Member Spotlight

Lourdes Gant

Manatee Holdings, The Business of Aquaculture Podcast | Canada

Corey Haugen

Hawthorne Advertising | USA

Makiko Karasawa

HK Sustainable Seafood Coalition | Hong Kong

Check out more member testimonials on social media with #ofFISHalmember!

Learn More

Aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.

Today, progress is being made in many places, but overall, action to meet the Goals has not advanced at the speed or scale required. This is where the seafood industry – and GSA as a vehicle – must come in and play a role.

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 8 - Decent work and economic growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Lifting Up Small-Scale Shrimp Farmers

In 2021, the Global Seafood Alliance partnered with the Bangladesh Shrimp and Fish Foundation (BSFF) on a World Bank-funded project of the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries to uplift Bangladesh’s small-scale shrimp farmers and revitalize black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) farming. This project will facilitate the formation of clusters of small farms to increase their collective harvest volume and enable them to sell directly to processors. It will also encourage adoption of third-party certification to ensure compliance with international standards and strict product quality grades to incentivize production of Grade A product. This approach will yield large, naturally pigmented black tiger shrimp with excellent quality, international certification and low carbon footprint. These unique attributes are expected to generate greater consumer confidence and satisfaction, premium prices in the international markets, attractive returns to small-scale farmers and sustainable development of the sector.

Group 308 Group 310

The Advocate Magazine

GSA's online magazine, the Responsible Seafood Advocate, had a successful year in 2021, offering original feature articles on many important topics like land-based aquaculture, innovation, fish nutrition, ocean microplastics, renewable energies, the circular economy, cutting carbon emissions, restorative aquaculture, traceability, ocean acidification and more. The Advocate attracted 1.5 million pageviews in 2021, up 19 percent from the previous year. Readers spent an average of 4:31 on every page. Our coverage of the Netflix "shockumentary" film "Seaspiracy" got more than 66,000 views. The Advocate continues to be the No. 1 draw to the GSA website.

1.5M

pageviews

19%

increase from
previous year

69k

views from our coverage
of "Seaspiracy"

Looking for visibility among qualified seafood professional leads?

Advertise on the Advocate, our online magazine covering a dynamic and evolving industry with objectivity and integrity. The Advocate appeals to industry professionals, academics, marketplace representatives, and more.

Become an Advertiser

GOAL, Reinvented

Do you want to showcase your organization's commitment to leading the seafood industry to a more responsible future?

Sponsor our GOAL conference and get exposure to the industry’s leaders firsthand.

Become a Sponsor

A Voice for Responsible Seafood

In 2020, the Global Seafood Alliance launched a media monitoring and outreach program using an AI-based news-aggregation tool to further position GSA and its members as a voice for responsible seafood. It’s paying off, as GSA and its affiliated brands garnered more than 2,500 media mentions in 2021, up 43% from 2020. Those 2,500-plus media mentions amounted to more than 21 billion impressions across dozens of online media outlets.

GSA updates its audience on campaign progress using email throughout the year.

Stay Informed

Aquademia Podcast

The Aquademia Podcast continued to grow its audience in 2021, with each episode’s average download rate increasing by 27%. This unique asset provided thousands of people around the world with 32 episodes - more than 1500 minutes of quality audio content. We interviewed 25 influential guests, expanded the scope of our content to include more wild-caught focused topics, and changed our release schedule from bi-weekly to weekly. Aquademia continues to be described as the seafood industry’s top podcast, and it will continue to reach audiences in countries all around the world as we expand our reach into 2022

27%

increase in download rate

32

episodes

1.5k

more than 1,500 minutes of audio content

25

influential guests

BAP Program

A testament to the industry’s dedication and responsible seafood production and sourcing, even during difficult times, the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program grew almost 9% in 2021. This speaks to aquaculture producers’ commitment to the full spectrum of sustainability, whether it’s environmental and social responsibility, animal health and welfare or food safety.

93.6%

Retention rate

3169

Total producers at end of 2021

8.6%

Year over year growth in producers

300k

People employed at certified facilities

39

Number of countries

Global Impact

Group 291

23.4B

Meals from BAP certified seafood (based on 4oz servings)

30

Number of species

Numbers by facility type

484

Processing Plants and Reprocessors

by volume 2,657,551 MT

2211

Farms (including fallows)

by volume 3,027,309 MT

150

Feed Mills

by volume 8,890,507 MT

324

Hatcheries

Consumers Look to Eco-Labels to Guide Purchasing Decisions

A study conducted by Changing Tastes in 2021 of 3,000 U.S. adult consumers and 400 purchasing decision makers in foodservice found that seafood is the preferred choice of consumers looking to eat less meat. It also found that eco-labels such as the BAP label are influencing perceptions of the seafood consumers purchase and the supermarkets and restaurants they frequent. In fact, the research shows that eco-labels that promote responsible seafood production are more often influencing U.S. consumers to choose one product over another or one brand over another.

This webinar provides a more in-depth overview of the results of the study.

Watch Webinar

46% of U.S. consumers have favorable views of retail channels that display the BAP label

64% of consumers would choose products with the BAP label over other proteins

Millennials have the highest recognition of the BAP label

Nearly half of millennials think more positively of the store from which they purchase they purchase seafood if that store carries seafood with the BAP label

BSP Program

The Best Seafood Practices (BSP) program was launched in 2021 and is the world’s only third-party certification program capable of linking responsible wild-capture fisheries to certified processing plants (through the Seafood Processing Standard) and certified vessels (through the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard).

Ended 2021 with
27 vessels in program

Dominique Gautier 1 — Dominique Gautier
Director of Sustainability, Seafresh Group

"Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union is committed to expanding the composition ratio of seafood eco-labeled products to the supply (sales amount) of products made mainly of seafood products by 2030 with the goal of increasing to 50% or more. We have been paying close attention to GSA's efforts to aim for best practices for responsible seafood products in the world, and in October 2021, we were able to launch a private brand CO-OP product with the BAP logo. We look forward to continued development of collaborative efforts with GSA for the sustainable production and consumption of seafood products."

Mr. Satoshi Matsumoto
Seafood Program Manager / Sustainability Strategy Dept. / Brand Strategy Division, Japanese Consumers’ Co-operative Union

Mr 1 — Mr. Jun Wang
Manager of Supply Chain Management Division, CAWM

William Davies 1 — William Davies
Sustainable Sourcing and CSR Manager, The Big Prawn Co. Ltd

GSA Board of Directors

Eric Bloom, Eastern Fish Co., Inc
Rittirong Boonmechote, Thai Union Group
Joe Chekouras, Mazzetta Company
George Chamberlain, Global Seafood Alliance
Marcus Coleman, Seafish
Tony Downs, Sysco Corp.
John Galiher, Lineage Logistics
Laura Garrido, Pescanova USA
Nelson Griffin, Red Lobster Seafood Co.
Bill Herzig, Sustainable Strategies & Initiatives
Robert Jones, The Nature Conservancy
Allen Kimball, Trident Seafoods
Santhana Krishnan, Maritech
Arni Mathiesen, Government of Iceland
Robins McIntosh, Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Co., Ltd
Gorjan Nikolik, Rabobank
Ron Patton, Grobest Global Service Inc.
Brian Perkins, Global Seafood Alliance
Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Alliance
Jeff Sedacca, Sterling Caviar
Terry Stachowiak, Rich Products
Wally Stevens, Global Seafood Alliance
Daniel Underkoffler, Sam’s Club
Jennifer Wandler, US Foods

Standards Oversight Committee

Dr. Alejandro Buschmann, Research and Development Center of Coastal Resources and Environments
Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen, Independent Social Development Consultant
Dan Lee, Standards Coordinator
Dr. David Little, University of Stirling
Kathy Janiga, FSQ Mark Foods, Inc
Ken Corpron, Global Seafood Alliance
Kim Thompson, Aquarium of the Pacific
Lukas Manomaitis, U.S. Soybean Export Council
Patrick Blow, Marks and Spencer
Dr. Simon Bush, Wageningen University
Tyler Isaac, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Worldfish
Jenna Stoner, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
Duncan Leadbitter, Fish Matter
Mike Park, Scottish Whitefish Producers Association
Toby Middleton, Marine Stewardhip Counsel

We're on a Role

The Global Seafood Alliance’s vision statement, positioned at the very top of this robust annual report, is clear and simple: “A world that embraces the role of responsible seafood in meeting global nutrition needs.” It’s our role, as an organization, to ensure that vision becomes reality.

How near are we to realizing that vision? Closer than you might think.

If you’re an Advocate reader or GOAL regular, then you’ve learned about the incredible obstacles – such as climate change, aquaculture diseases, illegal fishing and corporate responsibility, to name a few – that the industry must address and overcome to remain in business a century from now. You’ve also learned that for every seemingly insurmountable challenge facing the seafood industry, there is a solution, whether it’s rooted in innovative thinking, knowledge sharing across geographies, new technologies or simply fresh perspectives and outside expertise.

Recently, at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, I found myself surrounded by solutions in the form of people. There, entrepreneurs both youthful and, shall we say, more experienced, came to address crucial challenges facing our ocean planet. The energy and collaborative spirit were palpable. But if passionate people were all that was needed to safeguard the ocean, we’d be all set. Enacting change on a global level for a global industry takes more than passion – prudence, practicality, patience and perseverance all make the list as well.

Brian Perkins

BrianPerkins-Signature

Although this is only my first year at the helm of GSA, I’m extremely proud of the role that our group fulfills and its accomplishments over its first 25 years. We have so much left to do and the task of building a better and more responsible seafood industry requires that we all accept a role, whether we’re fishermen, farmers, or consumers. Embrace yours.

Brian_Perkins-768x585

Annual Report

Our Vision

Our Mission

Introduction

Still Crazy After All These Years

2021

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Rebrand

New look, new name,same approach