Fishermen and Friends of the Sea

Fishermen and Friends of the Sea
Name	Fishermen and Friends of the Sea
Formation	2000s
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Unknown
Region served	Global
Leader title	Executive Director

Fishermen and Friends of the Sea is an international non-governmental organization focused on sustainable fisheries, artisanal fishing communities, marine conservation, and seafood certification. The organization operates at the intersection of marine biology, international law, fisheries management, and market-based conservation, engaging with actors from coastal municipalities to multinational retailers. It interacts with regulatory frameworks, conservation programs, and trade agreements to advance traceability, bycatch reduction, and community livelihoods.

History

The organization emerged amid global debates shaped by events and institutions such as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the World Trade Organization dispute over fisheries subsidies, and negotiations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Its provenance aligns with campaigns led by groups like Greenpeace, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Marine Stewardship Council that rose to prominence during the 1990s and 2000s. Early initiatives referenced case studies from the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization, the collapse of cod stocks off Newfoundland following actions by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada), and reform efforts inspired by reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Over time the group worked in regions governed by institutions such as the European Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and national agencies in states like Norway, Chile, Japan, and South Africa.

Mission and Objectives

The stated mission emphasizes marine stewardship, artisanal fisher rights, and sustainable seafood markets, drawing conceptual parallels to campaigns from Surfrider Foundation, Conservation International, and the Fair Trade movement. Objectives include promoting selective gear technologies advocated by researchers at institutions like Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, supporting community quotas seen in models from Iceland and New Zealand, and advancing traceability systems similar to those promoted by the Global Ghost Gear Initiative. The organization frames its goals within international instruments such as the Port State Measures Agreement and targets consistent with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Certification and Standards

The group developed labels and performance criteria for seafood sourcing, paralleling protocols of the Marine Stewardship Council, Friend of the Sea, and GlobalG.A.P., while incorporating audit practices used by ISO standards and third-party verifiers like Bureau Veritas and DNV GL. Its standards address issues encountered in fisheries regulated by regional bodies such as the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and compliance with conventions like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Certification processes draw on supply chain models used by corporations including Tesco, Walmart, and Carrefour that require chain-of-custody documentation akin to systems operated by Intertek and SGS.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include community-based management pilots inspired by co-management in Philippines municipal fisheries, capacity-building workshops with stakeholders from Ghana, Peru, and Indonesia, and technical collaborations modeled on projects by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the TNC. Initiatives target bycatch reduction through gear trials similar to those tested with partners like the Monterey Bay Aquarium and projects to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in partnership with entities such as Interpol and the International Maritime Organization. Market access programs reference certification uptake by seafood suppliers to major foodservice groups like Compass Group and Sysco.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Governance mirrors NGO frameworks seen at organizations like Oxfam, WWF International, and The Nature Conservancy with boards, technical advisory panels including academics from University of British Columbia, University of Cape Town, and University of Washington, and regional coordinators in areas governed by agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (Philippines). Funding sources reported for similar groups include philanthropic foundations like the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and corporate partnerships with seafood companies such as Thai Union and Maruha Nichiro. Project financing often aligns with grant mechanisms used by the European Commission and multilateral funds managed by the World Bank and Global Environment Facility.

Impact and Criticism

Reported impacts mirror outcomes documented in evaluations of certification schemes connected to the Marine Stewardship Council and Friend of the Sea: improvements in market access, incentives for gear improvement, and mixed effects on small-scale fisher livelihoods observed in case studies from Morocco, Peru, and Philippines. Criticisms echo concerns raised in analyses by scholars affiliated with University of Oxford and London School of Economics about certification proliferation, accreditation transparency, and exclusionary effects noted in literature on eco-labels and supply chains in contexts such as West Africa and Southeast Asia. Debates engage stakeholders including national ministries, industry groups like the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, and advocacy organizations such as Seafood Watch.

Partnerships and Outreach

The organization collaborates with intergovernmental bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Programme, and regional fisheries management organizations like the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, while engaging retailers, processors, and NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace, and Rare. Outreach leverages platforms used by NGOs and scientific consortia, partnering with universities, research institutes like the Smithsonian Institution, and networks such as the Global Ocean Alliance to advance policy dialogue, training, and consumer awareness campaigns.

Category:Non-governmental organizations