Washington, DC – The National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch hosted the recent FIP Managers Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The two day agenda, moderated by Corey Peet of Postelsia, featured review of fishery management strategies, updates of on-going sustainability activities and sessions on tools for data collection and monitoring.
FIP leaders from China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam came together for the blue swimming crab sustainability symposium. The workshop’s dialogue included an exchange of science-based tactics as well as comprehensive problem-solving sessions.
“Sustainability does not occur in a vacuum,” said NFI Crab Council Executive Director Ed Rhodes. “Collaborations like these between stakeholders are essential to advance lasting fishery progress. The vast understanding on display during the workshop demonstrated that these FIPs are led by some of the most talented leaders in the fisheries improvement space.”
Co-hosted by Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Watch, the meeting also provided an opportunity for NFI Crab Council FIP managers and NGO’s to share and coordinate. With a membership of 25 crab importers, the Crab Council raises over $400,000 annually to sponsor fishery improvement projects throughout the crab producing regions of Southeast Asia. The council’s distinct pre-competitive method of fishery funding has been recognized by leading non-profits and international organizations as a model for industry-led sustainability.
Indonesia Blue Swimming Crab Processors Association (APRI) FIP Manager Dr. Hawis Madduppa viewed the workshop as a prime platform to detail the work underway in Indonesia as they introduce a new approach to controlling and eliminating undersized crabs from the value chain.
“Control Document testing is now being implemented in select Indonesian sites,” said Dr. Maduppa. “The managers meeting served as an ideal venue to share information on each fishery’s respective work, and the benefits were immediately clear. The interest in our control document work has spiked and we’re eager to share our results.”
The NFI Crab Council was founded in 2009 and funds blue swimming crab sustainability projects through contributions from participating companies and has received grants from the World Bank and the Walton Family Foundation.
Source: NFI Crab Council
