Viewing: Industry Reports

The economic, social, and environmental impacts of the pandemic on the seafood industry have been severe and diverse, including: disruptions to shipping and markets; high risk to fisher and seafood worker health and safety due to crowded conditions on board vessels and in processing facilities; increased food insecurity in coastal communities; and decreased fisheries science and enforcement and increased illegal fishing activities.2 A key response in the food industry, including seafood, was continued expansion into direct sales gained tremendous momentum. From initial coping responses…

For nearly two years, local, regional, and global fisheries and seafood supply chains have been forced to adjust and adapt to the unprecedented conditions brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Across the diverse landscape that makes up the global seafood sector, fishers, communities, industry, and governments have developed an array of strategies, innovations, and coping mechanisms to ensure survival— of their families, communities, and businesses. Some of these responses have been more successful than others; some worked well at the beginning of the…

The economic, social, and environmental impacts of the pandemic on the seafood industry have been severe and diverse, including: disruptions to shipping and markets; high risk to fisher and seafood worker health and safety due to crowded conditions on board vessels and in processing facilities; increased food insecurity in coastal communities; and decreased fisheries science and enforcement and increased illegal fishing activities.2 A key response in the food industry, including seafood, was continued expansion into direct sales gained tremendous momentum. From initial coping responses…

For nearly two years, local, regional, and global fisheries and seafood supply chains have been forced to adjust and adapt to the unprecedented conditions brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Across the diverse landscape that makes up the global seafood sector, fishers, communities, industry, and governments have developed an array of strategies, innovations, and coping mechanisms to ensure survival— of their families, communities, and businesses. Some of these responses have been more successful than others; some worked well at the beginning of the…

The following is a general roadmap to build a blended finance approach to a generic project, under a systems and multistakeholder perspective, without getting into the details of the specific financial or hedging instruments to be used and without giving any guidelines on how to set up or raise a fund.

This report proposes a development framework and associated strategies for diversifying and increasing funding to support the success of FIPs, with a particular focus on small-scale fisheries (SSF) and fisheries in the developing world context. In particular, the framework: • Recognizes the key enabling conditions, drivers for impact, and requirements for investment, including both asset and enabling investments for a sustainable and profitable SSF; • Introduces the concept of a multi-level action strategy, which connects FIPs with other initiatives to build collective impact and…

An entrepreneurial approach to sustainable solutions The problem of unsustainable fishing is one often defined by a negative casting, and the discouraged sense that “things are only getting worse.” Our research of the seafood supply chain uncovered reason for tenacious hope. Commissioned by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in 2008, this report was the first of three phases of research that culminated in the founding of Future of Fish as a non-profit organization dedicated to leveraging the power of innovators to shift the…

Executive Summary Future of Fish was born from a unique partnership between Ashoka, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Central, a design strategy firm. In its infancy as a stand-alone project, the goal was to find new, market-based solutions to drive increased demand for sustainable practices in the seafood industry. The project team, led by FoF founder Cheryl Dahle, combined Ashoka’s deep knowledge of the entrepreneurial mindset with design thinking, a problem-solving approach that relies on ethnographic research and rapid prototyping. The result…

Pair industry and restoration in a way that taps into underutilized resources and piggy- backs on infrastructure and know-how that exists in other industries The ongoing efforts of the various entities working with oysters should be coordinated and consolidated into a cohesive partnership —Hudson River Foundation, et al. Oyster Restoration Feasibility Study Oyster restoration is expensive, ranging from thousands to millions of dollars per acre of reef. Most restoration projects remain small because of a shortage of cash. One solution to this bottleneck is…

Engage the insurance and financial sectors to develop better risk mitigation strategies and improved dialogue around how to lower risk profiles of aquaculture farms. Risk management is overwhelmingly poorly addressed. Ecologically sound and commercially viable aquaculture is still in its infancy, and lack of capital is impeding growth. One of the impasses to investment is risk, both real and perceived. We did not see any significant involvement from the financial sector in either creating risk mitigation products, or offering loans that provide risk mitigation…