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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).

Annual Report

GSA advances responsible seafood practices worldwide through education, advocacy and demonstration. (1)

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).

Annual Report

2022

Our Mission

Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) advances responsible seafood practices worldwide through education, advocacy, and demonstration.
Through our membership program and global projects around the world supporting the seafood industry
Through our world-class third-party certification programs, Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Best Seafood Practices (BSP) 
Through our Responsible Seafood Summit (formerly GOAL conference), Advocate magazine, and Aquademia podcast

Intro

Intro

2022: Year in Review

View all blog posts

Throughout 2022, GSA’s #SeafoodWithStandards campaign highlighted each stop along the production chain to pull back the curtain and explain what happens there. We started with the processing plant, as that’s the stop that both wild and farmed seafood go through.

A closer look at what happens at seafood processing plants February 2022
Read more

BAP Spotlight Stories were created as a way to highlight BAP-certified producers around the world and the stories of the people behind them. RJ Taylor, owner of Cedar Crest Trout Farms, which operates the brand Springhills Fish, in Ontario, Canada, answered our questions about owning and operating an aquaculture facility.

BAP Spotlight Story: Springhills Fish May 2022
Read more

Atlantic Capes Fisheries, a fully integrated seafood company based in Fall River, MA, USA became the first company to achieve Best Seafood Practices (BSP) certification for its entire supply chain. The company owns 25 harvesting vessels, which are the first vessels to achieve certification to the RFVS in North America.

Atlantic Capes First Company to Achieve Supply Chain Best Seafood Practices (BSP) Certification September 2022
Read more

In honor of GSA’s 25th year, we took a look back to the formation of the Global Aquaculture Alliance in 1997. We still have far to go to help the seafood sector achieve its full potential of feeding the world with wholesome and responsibly produced food, but the first 25 years have provided a strong foundation to build upon.

Global Seafood Alliance: 25 years in the making | A look back to 1997 October 2022
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GSA’s Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS) is the first to achieve Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) recognition, a demonstration of our leadership in the global effort to build credibility among social accountability standards.

Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS) Is First Scheme to Achieve SSCI’s At-Sea Operations Benchmark November 2022
Read more

We shared preliminary results from our first consumer marketing campaign, “Healthy Fish, Healthy Planet, Healthy You!” in 2022. Conducted in October to coincide with U.S. National Seafood Month, the campaign was designed to build consumer awareness of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program and drive sales of BAP-certified seafood products.

GSA Releases Results from First Consumer Campaign December 2022
Read more

Our highlights

 

A few words from our team

 

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I’m very proud of the work done by our team in 2022 to build trust in seafood and create value for our stakeholders. We’re fully committed to the growth of responsible seafood practices by continuously improving our operations and deploying new technologies.
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Mike Kocsis
Chief Systems Officer
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2022 was a year of growth for the Global Seafood Alliance and our teams expanded accordingly, adding expertise to our program integrity, market development, operations, and finance teams in particular. I am proud and continually inspired to work alongside people who are passionate about our mission, and committed to the work we do around the world.
BelindaB
Belinda Braley
Chief People Officer
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2022 was largely spent exploring new ways GSA can better serve its constituency through technology and customer service. We dedicated our focus on planning some exciting initiatives for 2023, while also setting in motion the development of several future-state systems and processes with a focus on efficiency, cost, and one-of-a-kind service. It was a fulfilling year and our team looks forward to continuing GSA’s advancement in 2023.
BillC
Bill Clark
Chief Financial Officer
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This year was the first time we conducted a consumer-facing campaign to increase BAP brand awareness, and we were really pleased with the overall results of the campaign and the support we received from our partners. We believe consumer education plays an important role in increasing consumption and informing the public about why certified seafood is a responsible and nutritious choice.
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Devan Meserve
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
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The marketplace looks to GSA to provide assurances not only through our certification programs, but also through the strength of all of our efforts to help bring improvements to the seafood industry. As a result, we have nearly 250 retailers, food service companies and importer/suppliers who endorse our programs today by sourcing products certified to our standards and by participating in our other activities, many of which are outlined in this report.
SteveH
Steve Hart
Vice President of Market Development
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GSA is a multi-faceted organization. We are “fish-people”, but we are also “people-people”! What has been truly inspiring to me over the last year has been the work to support the producers around the world, the people and communities involved in or impacted by the seafood production chain. GSA’s education, advocacy and recognition of these communities and livelihoods aligns with our mission and I am excited to see how we continue this in 2023.
MollyJ
Molly Jacques
Vice President of Market Development Operations
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GSA’s Program Integrity Department strives to ensure our stakeholder expectations of responsible sourcing are fulfilled based on sound science and moral principles and demonstrate through action that GSA standards maintain the highest level of integrity.   We are excited to continue to work with our global partners with the revisioning of SPS 6.0, and development and implementation of new Seaweed, RAS, and Responsible Sourcing and Climate Action standards.
ChrisW
Chris Weeks
Vice President of Program Integrity

From our team to yours, we extend our heartfelt gratitude for taking the time to read our annual report and for your unwavering support throughout the year. We're thrilled to have achieved so much together in 2022, and we couldn't have done it without you. Your encouragement and commitment have been a driving force behind our success, and we're excited to continue working with you in the future. As we move forward, we'll strive to exceed your expectations and deliver even greater value to our community. Thank you again for your trust in us, and we look forward to a prosperous and rewarding partnership.

THE GSA TEAM

 

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Advocacy

Advocacy

Advocacy

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Membership

Our members: the backbone of our mission
Organizations, producers, individuals and students that align themselves with GSA are advancing responsible seafood practices around the world

40+

corporate members

8500+

total membership
program

27%

growth in paying members

82%

member renewal rate

Like what you see in our Annual Report?

Show your support for responsible seafood practices. Join our network of thousands of producers, businesses, nonprofits, students and consumers by becoming a member today.

Become a Member

Member Spotlight

"For the past 40 years as an insurance and risk manager I travelled extensively around the world viewing an enormous number of aquaculture systems and species. As I near the end of my professional career I think it is important to share what knowledge I have and I believe that a global organization such as GSA, linking people and information, is the ideal forum for knowledge sharing."

Chris Kennedy

Sunderland Marine | New Zealand

"GSA membership basically means a seat at the table with passionate fellow seafood advocates that don't shy away from the challenges faced by the seafood sector and instead look tirelessly for solutions."

 

Wasseem Emam

Ethical Seafood Research Ltd | Scotland, United Kingdom

"Listening to the speakers talk at the GOAL conference about all aspects of the whole industry made me realize it is so important to become part of this organization to reach people, to learn from others, and to help to ensure a more sustainable and responsible seafood supply chain. I want to encourage young students, particularly girls, to take the challenge of unknown worlds."

 

Makiko Karasawa

HK Sustainable Seafood Coalition | Hong Kong

"I met the podcasters from GSA’s Aquademia and recorded a podcast about my book, The Blue Revolution: Hunting, Harvesting, and Farming Seafood in the Information Age, on the show floor, and another one a month or so later. That connection, and the shift in GSA to monitor both wild and farmed fish, led me to become a member of the organization."

 

Nicholas P. Sullivan

Author | United States of America

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

Building trust in seafood

Global Impact Report

In September 2022, we released our first-ever Global Impact Report. This report celebrates our year in advancing responsible seafood practices, broken down region by region. An excerpt from one of the projects outlined in the report is featured below.
READ THE REPORT

global impact report

Collaborative workstream aims to solve marine ingredient sourcing

The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) has partnered with the Global Roundtable on Marine Ingredients to start a Workstream focused on filling gaps in supplies of responsibly produced marine ingredients in South and Southeast Asia. The initial focus of this project is to work with MarinTrust, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), The Marine Ingredients Organisation (IFFO) and other Roundtable stakeholders to develop solutions to provide locally sourced, responsibly produced fishmeal and fish oil for use in the aquafeed industry. The Roundtable has already been working in the Gulf of Thailand to develop solutions for Southeast Asia, so the GSA-led Workstream focuses on responsible fisheries supplies in India.

 

Aquafeed producers in India are experiencing challenges in sourcing fishmeal and fish oil from certified responsible fisheries or fisheries in assessment through a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP). Historically there has been work to develop FIPs in India, but only one is currently active. Additionally, the imposition of government duties on imported fishmeal (taxed at 20-25%) have threatened the ability of India's feed mills to meet the demand from the global marketplace to provide aquaculture products that are produced with responsible aquafeeds. These factors have led to GSA’s interest in starting a workstream with the Roundtable to bring together industry participants willing to develop solutions.

Seafood purchasers around the world have made commitments to sourcing responsibly produced seafood, which includes responsible ingredient sourcing for aquafeeds destined for use by the aquaculture industry. India is a major supplier of shrimp products to retail and food service companies around the world, so there is strong interest in assuring that India's feed mills have access to responsibly produced fishmeal and fish oil.

 

GSA is working with Key Traceability to lead the Workstream. The initial goal of the workstream is to develop a written plan to help advance FIP development in India based upon identified needs and recommended pathways from local experts, industry and market representatives. Multiple stakeholders will be engaged to move this project forward until active FIPs are in place.

 

An initial mapping document has been developed based upon a literature review of historical activities to develop responsible fisheries in India. In order to support the industry, GSA has modified their feed mill standard to allow feed mills in countries without direct access to currently recognized sources of responsibly sourced fishmeal and fish oil to meet sourcing requirements by becoming actively involved in FIP development. Currently, the Workstream is focused on conducting industry interviews to further understand the current conditions within India's fishmeal and fish oil fisheries.

 

This project is a first for GSA in how it stretches across both the wild and farmed seafood sectors. It advances GSA’s mission by driving improvements in both wild fisheries through the development of FIPs, and aquaculture through responsibly produced aquafeeds. Additionally, this project helps support livelihoods of both fisher people and farmers by improving the long-term viability of both sectors.

 

(excerpt of the Global Impact Report from September 2022)

 

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Group 311

Shrimp dish

A Voice for Responsible Seafood

To further position GSA and its members as a voice for responsible seafood, the team launched a media monitoring and outreach program using an AI-based news-aggregation tool. GSA and its affiliated brands garnered more than 5,125 media mentions, more than double 2021's total. Those 5,000-plus media mentions amounted to more than 38 billion impressions across dozens of online media outlets, up from 21 billion in 2021.

GSA updates its members on campaign progress using email throughout the year. Become a member to stay informed.

Join Us

2022 Media Outlets

In 2022, the following media outlets reported on GSA and its affiliated brands:
ABC 4 news
Delicious Foods
Food Safety Magazine
FoodTank
Fox 13 Seattle
IntraFish
News 4 Jax
Progressive Grocer
10-2
Undercurrent News
United BitCo
The Washington Post
Yahoo! News

Education

Education

Education

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Aquademia_Full2023 (1)
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Education

Our educational offerings: supporting the seafood industry
One of the pillars of our work in the seafood space is education. GSA has three educational products spanning three different media types to ensure that our audience receives information in the way that they learn best (online articles, in-person events, and audio podcasts).

The Advocate Magazine

The Responsible Seafood Advocate continued its editorial transition in 2022, the first full calendar year of showcasing both aquaculture and fisheries-related news, technical papers and feature articles. The online magazine is supported by a weekly newsletter – with open rates averaging 13% and click-thru rates around 20% – and a monthly Editor's Note, which boasted open rates of 25%. Subscribe to the Advocate below to get our latest stories delivered to your email inbox every Tuesday.
Subscribe
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1.2M

pageviews
in 2022

1M+

unique pageviews for
three consecutive years

4:30

average time on page
for all articles

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

The GOAL Conference

After a three-year hiatus, 345 seafood professionals and thought leaders from around the world descended on Seattle, USA, for the 21st edition of the Global Seafood Alliance’s annual GOAL conference, the first in-person GOAL since Chennai, India, in 2019. The event was a success, re-establishing GOAL as a pre-competitive platform for sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas amongst seafood thought leaders, uniting aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries.
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Encouraging collaboration, facilitating dialogue

Same Mission, Expanded Offerings

GSA has been encouraging collaboration and facilitating dialogue throughout the seafood community since 2001, beginning with the Global Shrimp Outlook for Leadership (GSOL) and continuing with its successor, the Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL). The event was rebranded as the Responsible Seafood Summit for 2023.
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Curated content

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Held at the Fairmont Olympic in early October, the event featured around 50 speakers addressing subjects ranging from cutting-edge technologies in seafood supply chains to reducing seafood’s carbon footprint to advancements in open-ocean farming technology, animal welfare and smallholder engagement. The event featured field trips to aquaculture facilities and fishing vessels, innovation awards, and networking opportunities.
Saint John
No two events are the same!

Seafood Summit 2023

We do not rest on our laurels by holding the same event in the same location each year. Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was selected as the location of the 2023 event because of its diverse seafood community and the example it sets for aquaculture and fisheries done responsibly.

REGISTER NOW

22

years

18

cities

3850

unique attendees

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

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

Become a Sponsor

Aquademia Podcast

The Aquademia Podcast continued to grow its audience in 2022, providing thousands of listeners around the world with 55 episodes – more than 2,600 minutes of quality audio content. We interviewed 45 influential guests, expanding our content's scope to include more personal stories and wild-caught-focused topics. 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 2023.

Listen Now
aquademia-mobile-logo

195%

increase in yearly downloads

58

episodes

2.6k

more than 2,600 minutes of audio content

47

influential guests

Demonstration

Demonstration

Demonstration

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Growth in 2022

A testament to the industry’s dedication and responsible seafood production and sourcing, the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program grew almost 5% in 2022. This speaks to aquaculture producers’ commitment to the full spectrum of responsibility, whether it’s environmental and social responsibility, animal health and welfare or food safety. In just a year since its launch in 2021, the Best Seafood Practices (BSP) program has made waves in the industry, with more than 60 vessels and processors now certified to BSP standards as of the end of 2022. 

Total producers at end of 2022 (BAP and BSP)

3394

Retention rate (BAP)

88.2%

Year over year growth in producers (BAP)

4.7%

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Global Impact

People employed at certified facilities 

310k

Meals from certified seafood

(based on 4 oz servings)

27.5B

Number of Countries 

43

Number of Species 

58

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Market Endorsers

Consumer Campaign Results

Insights

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Results from GSA's First Consumer Campaign

GSA conducted its first consumer-facing campaign in October 2022 to coincide with U.S. National Seafood Month. The campaign was designed to build consumer awareness of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program and drive sales of BAP-certified seafood products.

Campaign tactics included an “Are You AquaCultured?” social media campaign, targeted influencer engagement, the creation of new consumer messaging and a consumer website, and national and regional consumer media outreach. Public relations efforts resulted in a significant increase in media mentions for BAP, with top stories including a live interview on Good Day Seattle, multiple TV broadcast segments with dietitian Mia Syn, and articles in The Washington Post and Food Tank, among others. Eight retail and foodservice partners signed on for GSA’s consumer campaign, including Cub, Giant Eagle, Iberostar Hotels, Hannaford, Lidl, Publix, Secret Island Salmon, and WinCo Foods.

Watch Webinar

7.3B

Reach of media mentions

1M

Reach on social media

1K

BAP media mentions during promotional period

338K

Influencer post impressions

GSA Board of Directors

  • Michael Berto, Walmart
  • Eric Bloom, Eastern Fish Co., Inc
  • Rittirong Boonmechote, Thai Union Group
  • Joe Chekouras, Mazzetta Company
  • George Chamberlain, The Center for Responsible Seafood
  • Marcus Coleman, Seafish
  • Julie Decker, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
  • Hon. Rick Doucet, AGW Consulting LTD
  • Tony Downs, Sysco Corp.
  • John Galiher, Lineage Logistics
  • Laura Garrido, Pescanova USA
  • Bill Herzig, Sustainable Strategies & Initiatives
  • Robert Jones, The Nature Conservancy
  • Allen Kimball, Allen K Kimball Consulting LLC
  • Santhana Krishnan, Maritech
  • Hannah Lindoff, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
  • Arni Mathiesen, Government of Iceland
  • Robins McIntosh, Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Co., Ltd
  • Gorjan Nikolik, Rabobank
  • Ron Patton, Grobest Global Service Inc.
  • Tom Pickerell, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Terry Stachowiak, Rich Products
  • Wally Stevens, Global Seafood Alliance
  • 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 Stewardship Counsel

Share your impact!

I'm proud to be a member of @GSA_Seafood and support the projects they do around the world. Check out the impact they had in 2022! #ForTheLoveOfSeafood 🌏🐟👏

Thank you for taking the time to review our 2022!

Let's keep in touch
Download 2022 Report