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The Global Seafood Alliance GSA is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances (demonstration).
If I’m ever asked what the Global Seafood Alliance does, I’ll say look beyond the organization, the brands, the advocacy work, and even the talented team.
That’s because GSA is a global community of people and partner organizations whose dedication to responsible seafood is making great things possible. So, if you’re reading this, you’re GSA. You’re helping make seafood a stronger industry and you’re improving people’s lives through a great collective effort and we thank you.
As we share another activity-filled Annual Report, what continues to inspire me is that the industry relationships we’ve forged as a group transcend transactions. They are grounded in shared goals, accountability and a belief that seafood can be a positive force for people and planet. The level of engagement across our global network remains one of GSA’s greatest strengths.
It is you – an incredible global community of dedicated individuals and companies – that supports GSA’s programs, attends our events, reads our magazine, participates in our surveys and listens to (and now watches!) our podcast. And as you review our latest Annual Report, you will see how our team works to make the seafood industry more responsible, sustainable, innovative and equitable. You will also see how much progress can be achieved when industry stakeholders work together.
I’ve picked out a few highlights that illustrate how GSA is making major impact. For starters, our industry-leading Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standards are – by design – in a state of constant evolution, and our Standards Oversight Committee shared a few important updates this past year.
The Salmon Farm Standard Issue 3.0, which became effective in August, adopted the forage fish dependency ratio (FFDR) as a metric and introduced stronger biosecurity requirements and social responsibility clauses – three significant ways to expand the impact of certified salmon farms with valuable supply chains.
In November, the Seafood Processing Standard (SPS) launched optional Enhanced Social Modules that provide auditors with additional insight into overnight conditions at processing facilities. Looking further ahead, our team is preparing a more robust BAP Feed Mill Standard to meet the complex needs of the marketplace, while also supporting shrimp farmers as they transition to a future that prioritizes animal welfare practices.
We also saw important progress on the fisheries side of our work in 2025. The emerging Argentinian red shrimp fishery earned a big win in May, when vessels owned by Spanish seafood giant Profand achieved Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard (RFVS) certification. Commitments like this matter because consumer expectations continue to evolve. According to consumer research
Thank you for your continued support of GSA.
MIKE KOCSIS, CEO
commissioned by GSA and conducted by GlobeScan, at least four in every 10 consumers now actively look for eco-labels on seafood products, with Spanish consumers reporting the most trust in our programs.
Lastly, the Responsible Seafood Summit continued to be a key date on the global seafood calendar. Held in Cartagena, Colombia, the event was informative and productive by day – and fun by night. But most importantly, it reinforced the value of bringing people together for face-to-face meetings. That sense of connection is a big part of GSA’s heritage and continues to strengthen the relationships that move our industry forward.
Last fall, GSA and BAP were honored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at a ceremony in Rome for supporting FAO’s four “betters”: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life. On behalf of all of us at GSA, we couldn’t be prouder to serve as a positive force in food – in the field, in conference rooms and at dinner tables everywhere. It reflects the work of a global industry committed to building a more responsible future for seafood.
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Some of the wisest words of advice one can receive in business go something like this: To manage something well, you must measure it. In other words, to realize future goals, assess where you are now and find ways to continuously improve your position over time, regularly stopping to take new measurements. I’ll add that it’s also important to celebrate milestones as you reach them.
Commit to continuous improvement and measure your progress toward your goals – these are fitting messages to accompany the release of our 2024 Annual Report, which highlights growth for Global Seafood Alliance programs and the new milestones that we’ve reached. For instance, the number of certified facilities increased 5 percent last year to surpass 4,100 facilities in 45 countries. While we share this measurement every year, we’re also tracking new trends. In 2024, certified producers resolved nearly 8,000 non-conformities to attain certification, a number that illustrates the rigor in our standards.
These metrics matter because they show how Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices standards drive our
organization and improvement on the water wherever they’re applied. But it’s the story that numbers don’t always easily tell that shows what we’re truly shooting for: Strengthening the impact of the work we do on a holistic level. There are hundreds of thousands of employees working in BAP-certified facilities, and an estimated 60 million people working in seafood globally, and they deserve to work in a field that is always taking measures to address social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and environmental stewardship. Certification is a strong way to demonstrate your commitment to these principles.
I like to say that growth for our program simply allows greater opportunity to extend a
positive impact. That’s really the why of what we do. The global seafood industry can have a positive and lasting impact on food security, human health and nutrition, markets and economies and, of course, the environment, if its work is done responsibly. And a combination of passion, patience and collaboration can result in meaningful change – I see it every day at GSA.
Thank you to our many strategic partners and stakeholders who support GSA’s vision, mission and day-to-day operations. A special shout out to the growing GSA team around the world. Commitment to responsible seafood and continuous improvement requires every one of us. Thank you for always putting your best foot forward.
Thank you for your support,
MIKE KOCSIS, CEO
May 2025
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GSA Country Coordinator, Rachaneewan Khamman, held a training that was an outstanding success with Okeanos and Thai Union. Rachaneewan presented: BAP's SPS 6.0. SPS Version 6.0 has a new modular approach designed to improve audit efficiency, support wild-capture processing facilities, and provide a more customized approach to the facility under assessment. Under this new format, facilities are only audited to modules that are applicable to their specific operation, resulting in a more efficient audit that provides the same level of assurances.
GSA Director of Market Development Latin America, Bill Hoenig, spoke at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for #WorldOceanDay, educating 100+ attendees about all of the work it takes for seafood industry professionals to get seafood onto their plates – both farmed and wild-caught seafood! His presentation was called "Balancing Nature and Nourishment: Stewardship in Ocean & Aquaculture Practices."
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GSA will require all shrimp production facilities around the world certified to BAP certification standards to end eyestalk ablation or the sourcing of shrimp postlarvae from hatcheries that engage in the practice by the end of 2030.
Eyestalk ablation – the pinching, cauterizing or surgical removal of a broodstock female shrimp’s eyestalk – is a breeding technique that prompts the spawning process and has been a standard practice in shrimp hatcheries for nearly four decades. The eyestalk of a shrimp contains a complex of glands that influence molting, sexual maturation and egg production.
For the past several years, GSA has funded and undertaken extensive research to identify commercially viable alternative methods to eyestalk ablation and has collaborated with academic, NGO and industry partners to ascertain the challenges associated with an industry-wide shift to shrimp farming without ablation. Last year, the organization shared the results of a survey conducted with shrimp producers in key production regions to determine the industry’s readiness for adopting alternative methods and the primary obstacles to achieving that goal.
As a result of these collaborative efforts, GSA has decided to ban the practice of eyestalk ablation by the end of 2030 and will work closely with BAP-certified producers and industry stakeholders in the lead-up to achieve this goal.
“The years of rigorous due diligence conducted by the GSA team and by our valued external shareholders gives us confidence that BAP-certified shrimp facilities will be able to successfully make the transition to non-ablated shrimp production within five years,” said CEO Mike Kocsis. “It may be a difficult challenge for some producers, but it’s become clear that eyestalk ablation should no longer be considered among the best practices for shrimp aquaculture. Animal health and welfare is one of the four pillars of responsibility that guide all BAP standards, which also include environmental responsibility, food safety and social accountability. Our standards are designed to strengthen over time and reflect the latest knowledge about the impact of aquaculture, an industry that will grow in importance as both the global human population and the threat of climate change increase.”
GSA believes that as aquatic animal welfare research and knowledge have matured, shrimp eyestalk ablation has emerged as an issue that the industry can and should solve through innovation
and collaboration. Some retailers and consumers have been calling for an end to the practice.
“GSA stands ready to support the global aquaculture industry at all times and be a resource for shrimp farmers everywhere who need assistance making this historically important transition,” Kocsis added.
There are currently nearly 1,900 shrimp farms and 150 shrimp hatcheries around the world with an active BAP certification, producing nearly 800,000 metric tons of shrimp annually. Globally, there are more than 4,000 BAP-certified farms, hatcheries, processing plants for all seafood products combined.
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Since 2001, GSA’s annual Responsible Seafood Summit has provided a pre-competitive space for delegates from all industry segments to put aside day-to-day business to discuss shared responsibilities and goals. The challenges facing seafood require collaboration — no one organization can solve a problem on its own. That’s where the Summit comes in, as a meeting place for industry segments that don’t normally collaborate to move the dial on the challenges facing seafood.
In 2025, the Aquademia Podcast continued to strengthen its position as a trusted voice in seafood sustainability, releasing 12 new episodes featuring 450 minutes of engaging audio content. Throughout the year, 14 guests from across the seafood industry shared valuable perspectives and innovative ideas spanning fisheries, aquaculture, and responsible seafood production. The podcast also experienced significant audience growth, achieving a 22% increase in total downloads from 2024 to 2025. As listener engagement and global reach continue to expand, Aquademia remains committed to delivering insightful conversations that inform, connect, and inspire the seafood community worldwide.
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ShopRite, a retailer with nearly 280 locations in the eastern United States, launched a guide to its seafood standards, new point of sale materials and updated their website with new messaging to educate their customers about responsible sourcing and the BAP program. ShopRite is part of the Wakefern Food Corp. supermarket cooperative and is committed to sourcing 4-star BAP-certified seafood, including 100% of its farm-raised private-label shrimp.
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BAP-certified production is global. This heat map highlights the metric tonnage of certified product at the farm level by country, demonstrating the program’s reach and impact across markets. This map only showcases countries with metric tonnage greater than 100,000.
2542
2523
1950
505
288
people employed at BAP-certified facilities
BAP-certified species
Third-party certification ensures credibility and trust, providing independent verification that products meet rigorous standards. It builds consumer confidence, enhances brand reputation, and promotes transparency and accountability across the supply chain.
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