Article review by Andrew Long

Article review by Andrew Long

Article: “Buyers offer reality check on pursuit of sustainable seafood.”

Author: Bob Tkacz

Source: Aquaculture North America Jan/Feb 2011.

            In his report “Buyers offer reality check on pursuit of sustainable seafood,” following the 2010 Chinese Seafood Sustainability Summit, Bob Tkacz highlights some of the lectures and discussions at this year’s international forum for seafood farmers, buyers, traders, and retailers. The author suggests that the increasingly popular buzzword “sustainability,” is somewhat ambiguous for consumers and retailers alike. He illustrates this point well by contrasting the strategies implemented by two of North America’s largest seafood processors/retailers.

            The development of Eco-labels, proliferated by environmental NGO’s, holds some intrinsic values of their own. Although it means different things in different markets, an unspecified market survey cited in the article shows that 80% of customers want more information on sustainability issues, and 90% of consumers were willing to switch to sustainably caught products. According to David Smith, president of Sobey’s Seafood, customers are savvier and the state of sustainably caught seafood is going from “nice-to-do” to “need-to-do.” Many feel that NGO certifications aren’t coming fast enough and good retailers know they must do their own homework to buy from fisheries that are at least on a trajectory towards sustainable catch.

            Strategies for marketing to their clientele differs among retailers, some rely on eco-labels and consumer perception of sustainable practices, while others have deeper roots in the market. Sobey’s retail chain throughout Canada reports that they don’t rely on eco-labeling because they have a 100 year tradition in the industry, but they support sustainable practices to maintain their image among consumers. Corporations like Santa Monica Seafood however, cater to sophisticated clientele throughout southern California where eco-labels and sustainably caught products are key to image and sales. Despite their heavy reliance on eco-labels as part of their reputation, Santa Monica Seafood, as well as Sobey’s, maintains that if a product is legal they have to offer it in order to maintain relationships with suppliers and business among unscrupulous buyers such as individuals, restaurants, and the other retailers they supply.

            The article cites industry projections by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, estimating unprecedented growth over the course of the next 10 years, largely due to the increased demand for seafood, which will make expansion of aquacultural operations feasible for many new species and regions. Tenured retailers know that such demand will also put pressure on traditional fisheries, and warn others not to paint themselves into a corner by pledging to eliminate non-certified products from their markets by specific dates.