Viewing: Supply Chain Analysis

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…

Traceability in the Peruvian Mahi Mahi Fishery As is the case with any complex system, there is no one silver bullet solution that will solve overexploitation of fishery resources. A coordinated effort is needed across multiple domains from governance to trade.  We believe that traceability is an important approach that has been identified which, within the seafood industry, allows fishers, processors, distributors, and retailers to seamlessly share key information about a product as it winds its way from dock to plate. Properly applied, traceability…

Domestic Market Initiatives in the Peruvian Benthic Fishery As is the case with any complex system, there is no one silver bullet solution that will solve overexploitation of fishery resources. A coordinated effort is needed across multiple domains from governance to trade. We believe developing new market initiatives is a critical component of this approach, to incentivize supply chain actors to practice responsible harvesting and sourcing which would unlock trapped value. This document outlines recommendations and strategies for unlocking new or additional value in…

The last few years have witnessed emerging national level laws and policies around the world that are shaping the market space for traceable seafood through data-driven regulations. At the same time, seafood companies are under increasing international pressure to make and meet commitments to sustainable and socially responsible practices—a lift that requires increased levels of traceability and transparency in seafood supply chains to identify weaknesses and track improvements. The path to improved data systems and traceability will require more than just technology upgrades. In…

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…

pod Seafood buyers make purchasing decisions based on consistency, quality, quantity, and price. Most ecologically sound fish farms can deliver consistency and quality, but many, limited by land area, lease size, or tank capacity, produce volumes too low to be competitive. Because the coordinated logistics to source product from multiple distributed farms are lacking, poor market access continues to be a barrier to new aquaculture start-ups. “Unless you’re pushing to maximize profits by densely populating your system, growing the fish is not your biggest…

Finance Needs and Opportunities for Investment The goal of this research was to assess the New England groundfish fishery’s constraints and uncover opportunities for fundable initiatives that might ensure both its economic viability, as well as support the conservation management successes secured through sector management. This report was prepared for the New Venture Fund’s New England Finfish Finance Needs Assessment project by Future of Fish and Neel Inamdar, with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The New England groundfish fishery has experienced…

A primer for resource managers, scientists, fishers, and other industry players seeking to harness the power of supply chains to ignite sustainable management in artisanal fisheries. A supply chain is more than a set of links. Though we call it a supply “chain,” few products in today’s global economy move along a simple, linear track. From clothing to cars to cod, modern supply chains resemble increasingly complex networks of people and companies that produce, transform, aggregate, separate, package, transport, store, ship, trade, sell, and…