USAID, industry partners to hold 1st Responsible Seafood Summit in PH

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA  -A groundbreaking event will bring together over 170 participants from various sectors to champion responsible seafood sourcing (RSS) and combat illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Philippines.

The 1st Responsible Seafood Summit aims to foster greater awareness, recognition, demand, and support for responsible seafood sourcing across the seafood industry value chain in the Philippines.

Organized with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Fish Right Program, the summit will be held on Sept. 14, at the Novotel Manila Araneta City and kickstart the official celebration of the 60th Fish Conservation Week in the Philippines.

The Summit will feature a technical workshop on Responsible Seafood Sourcing principles and practices, followed by an afternoon session celebrating milestones and industry partnerships under the Better Seafood Philippines (BSP) Program, which was established through the USAID Fish Right Program.

BSP is led by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and aims to enhance supply chain development efforts and industry partnerships on RSS. This program seeks to transform market-based approaches to address IUU fishing through the seafood supply chain.

Attendees will include representatives from USAID Philippines, the Philippine government (Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agricultrue-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department of Science and Technology), private sector seafood industry, local government units (LGUs), community-based organizations, USAID implementing partners, and other sectors.

Ryder Rogers, director of the environment office at USAID Philippines, and Dr. Drusila Esther Bayate, Undersecretary for Fisheries at the Department of Agriculture, will deliver remarks during the summit.

Notable private sector participants include JT Solis, CEO and co-founder of Farm to Mayani Inc., and Nanette Cadutdut, president of the Bogtong Fish Processors Association.