Seafood Consumers Association adds the consumer voice to a growing global movement for greater transparency in fisheries and seafood supply chains
The Seafood Consumers Association (SCA) is pleased to announce that it has been welcomed as an Affiliate of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency (CFT), connecting Australia's seafood consumer voice with an international movement seeking greater transparency and accountability in fisheries.
The relationship follows discussions between SCA and Emily Porterfield, Manager of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency, about the strong alignment between the organisations and opportunities to work together.
CFT brings together more than 75 civil-society and non-profit organisations working to advance transparency and accountability in fisheries governance and management. Its work is united around the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency. Info Background to CFT
For SCA, however, there is another important dimension.
Transparency should not stop when the fish reaches the wharf.
Following the fish from ocean to plate
Much of the international fisheries-transparency debate understandably begins at sea.
Who owns the vessel?
Is it licensed?
Where is it fishing?
What is it catching?
Is the catch being properly reported?
Is transshipment transparent?
Are labour and human rights being respected?
Can regulators identify the beneficial owners behind fishing operations?
These are fundamental questions. Greater transparency can make it harder for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to enter legitimate seafood supply chains, while vessel identification, tracking and ownership information provide important foundations for traceability. Info Background to CFT
But consumers need the transparency chain to continue.
A fish can be legally harvested by a properly licensed and monitored vessel and still lose its identity somewhere between landing, processing, importing, wholesaling, retailing and foodservice.
It can be substituted.
It can be misnamed.
Its country of origin can become unclear.
Its weight can be misrepresented.
Its production method can be incorrectly described.
Important allergen or food-safety information can be lost.
Or the consumer can simply be given insufficient information to make an informed choice.
That is why SCA sees fisheries transparency as an ocean-to-plate issue.
Our own analysis has identified precisely this downstream limitation: strong upstream transparency does not by itself prevent species substitution or misnaming after seafood enters domestic processing, wholesale, retail and foodservice channels. Info Background to CFT
Why the Coalition's work matters to Australian consumers
The relationship with CFT fits closely with SCA's existing work on seafood fraud, traceability, truthful labelling and consumer protection.
Following our initial discussions with CFT, SCA identified particularly strong alignment around seafood traceability and supply-chain integrity. Our Board briefing also identified opportunities for international cooperation to reinforce Australia's domestic work on seafood identification and the Australian Fish Names Standard, AS 5300. Board-AC BriefingreCFT210826
This matters because seafood is one of the world's most internationally traded foods.
Consumers frequently have little visibility of the journey their seafood has taken before reaching the plate.
Transparency therefore cannot consist of one piece of information held by one organisation at one point in the supply chain.
It requires information capable of being connected.
Vessel → Catch → Landing → Processing → Trade → Retail/Foodservice → Consumer.
Break that chain and opportunities for substitution, fraud and misinformation emerge.
The Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency
The Coalition is built around the principles of the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which seeks greater openness in areas fundamental to responsible fisheries governance.
These include issues such as vessel information, fishing authorisations, vessel tracking, ownership, catch and fisheries information and the sharing of information needed to combat IUU fishing.
For SCA, these principles complement something we have argued consistently:
You cannot have genuine seafood traceability unless identity survives the entire journey to the consumer.
Knowing which vessel caught a fish is extremely valuable.
But consumers must also be confident that the seafood ultimately offered to them is actually the species, origin and product represented.
That is why SCA continues to advocate for stronger use of the Australian Fish Names Standard (AS 5300) and greater consistency in seafood identification.
Australia has an opportunity
The international movement towards fisheries transparency also raises an important question for Australia.
What should a modern seafood transparency system look like?
Australia has sophisticated fisheries-management systems, strong science, substantial regulatory capability and internationally respected seafood producers.
But information remains fragmented between fisheries management, imports, food regulation, consumer law, trade measurement, foodservice and other regulatory responsibilities.
The consumer experiences none of those bureaucratic divisions.
They simply buy seafood.
The challenge is therefore to connect the information already being collected and ensure that transparency continues through the entire supply chain.
This is particularly relevant to the Mombasa Declaration on Fisheries Transparency, which seeks national commitments to stronger fisheries transparency. SCA's earlier discussions with CFT identified Australia as an important country for engagement on these issues. Board-AC BriefingreCFT210826
SCA believes Australia should engage constructively with this international movement while asking an additional question:
How do we carry fisheries transparency all the way to the Australian consumer?
A natural connection with I-CADMUS
The affiliation also has considerable relevance to SCA's developing I-CADMUS seafood integrity initiative.
I-CADMUS examines seafood integrity through seven interconnected areas:
Illegal; Counterfeit; Addition/Adulteration; Dilution; Misrepresentation/Mislabelling; Unreported/Unregulated/Undisclosed; and Substitution.
Many of those problems cannot be addressed by regulators, industry or consumers acting independently.
They require information.
They require education.
They require traceability.
And increasingly they require international cooperation.
SCA has therefore identified the potential to share the I-CADMUS fraud and integrity training framework with the Coalition and explore how education might complement international transparency initiatives. Info Background to CFT
That could eventually create an important bridge between fisheries transparency and consumer literacy.
Transparency builds trust
SCA's interest in transparency is not about attacking the seafood industry.
Quite the opposite.
Greater transparency protects responsible fishers, aquaculture producers, processors, importers, retailers and restaurants from competitors who gain an advantage through illegal activity, substitution or deception.
It also allows good operators to demonstrate why they deserve consumer confidence.
Ultimately, transparency is one of the foundations of trust.
Consumers should be able to ask some very simple questions about seafood:
What is it?
Where did it come from?
How was it produced or caught?
Can its journey be verified?
And can I trust the information I have been given?
Those questions connect the work of the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency directly with the mission of the Seafood Consumers Association.
SCA is therefore delighted to become a CFT Affiliate and looks forward to working with Emily Porterfield and the wider Coalition network.
Because transparency should not end at the water's edge.
It should travel with the seafood—all the way from ocean to plate.
About the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency
The Coalition for Fisheries Transparency is an international civil-society network advocating greater transparency and accountability in fisheries governance and management through the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency. EN_Membership Handbook - Google…
Coalition for Fisheries Transparency
About Seafood Consumers Association
Seafood Consumers Association Ltd is an Australian consumer-focused charity advocating for accessible, nutritious, affordable and trustworthy aquatic foods and greater transparency throughout seafood supply chains.
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