FishWise at Seafood Expo North America

FishWise will be attending the Seafood Expo North America March 19th – 21st in Boston. There are a number of panels on traceability, human rights, and anti-IUU that FishWise will be participating in, both as a member of the Seafood Traceability Collaboration and independently with other participants.

Seafood Traceability Collaboration

FishWise alongside Future of Fish, Global Food Traceability Center, and WWF have come together with the support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Oceans and Seafood Markets Initiative (OSMI) to form the OSMI Seafood Traceability Collaboration. Our four organizations have aligned around a strong common vision and bring diverse but complementary capabilities and approaches to implementing that vision. We look forward to transparent communication with both industry and our fellow NGOs about our work and goals.

Boston and Beyond

The Seafood Traceability Collaboration has created a coordinated group of sessions for the Seafood Expo North America in Boston March 19-21, 2017. Session descriptions are below – we hope that you will join us!  If you have questions, please email us at tracecollaboration@futureoffish.org.

 INVESTING IN TRACEABILITY FOR TOMORROW, TODAY

 Session Date: Mar 20 2017. 3:45 pm-5:00 pm

 Description:

So you want to get on board the traceability train? Great! Now what?

It’s clear that the field will continue to change rapidly with new government regulations, advancing technologies, and looming emerging standards. What can companies do to implement traceability improvements now while ensuring they are setting themselves up to be adaptive and flexible to the evolving traceability landscape?

We’ll look at the key factors that must be considered in an evolving landscape, talk about how to “design for the future”, and hear some hard-won wisdom from industry leaders who have made the shift towards traceable supply chains. Find out how to stay up to date with changes in technology and regulation, and how to plan for a redesign that will continue to serve you two, five, or ten years down the line.

BEYOND THE BUZZWORDS: TRANSLATING TRACEABILITY FOR EVERYONE 

Session Date: Mar 19 2017. 12:30 pm-1:45 pm

Description:

There’s a new buzzword in the sustainable seafood movement: traceability. But “traceability” can be a confusing concept, as it’s not just something a company can “have” at the push of a button. At its most basic definition, traceability is a record-keeping system designed to track the flow of product through the production process or supply chain. But what it looks like in practice can vary greatly.

Traceability technology moves at a lightning pace too. As soon as you can get a handle on your XML and your RFIDs, a new system or software shows up to complicate the field. Blockchain, “true” interoperability, and the “Internet of Things” aren’t just buzzwords; they’re also key concepts and technologies that promise to affect the traceability world in a very real way.

Join us as we move beyond the marketing-speak into a practical but forward-looking conversation about the future of traceability, and the business case for its importance.

Human Rights and Anti-IUU Panels at the Seafood Expo North America

FishWise is excited to announce that we will be moderating a panel on human rights legislation in the seafood industry, and participating in an anti-IUU panel at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston! The panels’ descriptions and details are below. We hope that you join us!

NAVIGATING SEAFOOD TRADE AND LEGISLATION IN 2017

Session Date and Time: Mar 20 2017. 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm

Description:

In this FishWise moderated panel session, participants will learn how to ensure that their companies are compliant with trade laws and legislation, specifically the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (H.R. 644) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The session will impart the audience with practical knowledge about relatively new policies and how these policies are being enforced. Representatives will discuss what H.R. 644 means for businesses and what methods businesses can take to ensure that they are compliant with this legislation, including outlining what procedures businesses should have in place before importation, what will happen if a product is stopped at the border, and how to move forward with your business in the event that a customs hold does occur. The session will also discuss the implications of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act for your company, focusing on how to best protect your business and demonstrate leadership in anti-trafficking. 

REDUCING RISK OF IUU SEAFOOD IN SUPPLY CHAINS

Session Date and Time: Mar 20 2017. 11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Description:

A number of events in recent years have placed new scrutiny and global emphasis on the security and sustainability of seafood supply chains. The stories uncovered by the press regarding slave labor on certain fishing fleets have brought illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to a new level of public awareness. This past year the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) officially entered into force, with the United States, European Union, and 33 other nations signed on as parties to the agreement. This new agreement, along with recommendations by the U.S. Government IUU Task Force and resulting federal agency actions, combined with IUU regulations in the European Union, will continue to place added pressure on companies to ensure their seafood products are sourced from legitimate means and free of illegal influence.

This panel session will discuss recent initiatives through partnerships between government, private industry, non-governmental organizations to mitigate the risk IUU fish and seafood products within national and global supply chains. Panel discussion will highlight practical steps and tools that seafood industry representatives can take to incorporate vessel identification, tracking, and risk assessment systems that can help the seafood industry meet this increasing demand for transparency accountability within their supply chains.