Evolving Perspectives of Stewardship in the Seafood Industry

Humanity has never benefited more from the ocean as a source of food, livelihoods, and well-being, yet on a global scale this has been accompanied by trajectories of degradation and persistent inequity. Awareness of this has spurred policymakers to develop an expanding network of ocean governance instruments, catalyzed civil society pressure on the public and private sector, and motivated engagement by the general public as consumers and constituents. Among local communities, diverse examples of stewardship have rested on the foundation of care, knowledge and agency. But does an analog for stewardship exist in the context of globally active multinational corporations? Here, we consider the seafood industry and its efforts to navigate this new reality through private governance. We examine paradigmatic events in the history of the sustainable seafood movement, from seafood boycotts in the 1970s through to the emergence of certification measures, benchmarks, and diverse voluntary environmental programs. We note four dimensions of stewardship in which efforts by actors within the seafood industry have aligned with theoretical concepts of stewardship, which we describe as (1) moving beyond compliance, (2) taking a systems perspective, (3) living with uncertainty, and (4) understanding humans as embedded elements of the biosphere. In conclusion, we identify emerging stewardship challenges for the seafood industry and suggest the urgent need to embrace a broader notion of ocean stewardship that extends beyond seafood

Exploring opportunities for social learning in community response to natural hazards : A case study of Morpeth Flood Action Group, northwest of England

Social learning has had a growing recognition in the environmental debate and is argued to increase resilience. However, recent literature has spurred a discussion on shortcomings of the use of the concept. This study aims to add more empirical understanding to social learning by using a case study of flood hazards in Morpeth, England, as a critical lens. Moreover, there has been a call for more community involvement in disaster mitigation as well as increased understanding of long-term learning dimension. Therefore this research has focused on a self-organised community group, Morpeth Flood Action Group, triggered by a community response to a flood hazard. The findings, based on qualitative interviews and participatory observations, suggest various elements of, and opportunities for social learning in the organisational viability and the everyday operation of the studied community group. The findings indicate that social network over scales, institutional development by a bottom up processes and long-term possibilities for learning are instrumental. This study has identified enabling key factors for local learning process to happen and to be sustainable, which can be instructive for future development for local response capacity in disaster risk reduction and resilience. The study concludes that this type of spontaneously, “real-world” approach to social learning for can be a suitable study object for future empirical research

Reeling in private governance approaches for sustainable fisheries : A study of Fishery Improvement Projects

In response to the global fisheries crisis new governance models have been developed. In this thesis, I study one such model, Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), that have increased in numbers and importance globally, yet received little scientific attention. Alongside seafood certifications schemes, FIPs have been developed to meet the growing demand for sustainable seafood. By employing a multi-stakeholder approach, these projects aim to use the power of the private sector to improve fishery management and fishing practices. However, processes within these projects, and how they function as an instrument of change to improve fisheries, have been particularly understudied. This thesis explores the potential benefits and challenges of FIPs as a private governance approach for achieving sustainable fisheries. Paper I presents the first global systematic description of FIPs governance processes by examining reported actions, the actors involved, and their achievements. It reveals that FIPs have influenced both governmental policy (e.g., through management plans and new governmental management bodies) and industry-led practices (e.g., traceability programs and gear changes). It also demonstrates that FIPs include a diversity of actors, although fishers and retailers are relatively absent in FIP actions. The paper proposes that FIP actions and outputs can be categorized as either complementary or reinforcing of state regulations. Paper II contributes with an in-depth case study of the blue swimming crab FIP in Indonesia. By using the lens of institutional entrepreneurship, the study provides a historical analysis of the value chain from village fishers in Indonesia to importers in the US. It describes the entrepreneurship behind the FIP’s establishment and its institutional interventions, as well as addresses why these have been unsuccessful in changing behaviours of fishers and traders to increase the ecological sustainability. The paper expands on the theoretical understanding of institutional entrepreneurship. Paper III presents an overview of how fishers participate in FIPs based on data from FIP implementers world-wide. Fishers are mostly involved in data collection efforts and less involved in developing FIP workplans and objectives indicating that they are not involved in the early development process of the FIP. The lack of overall benefits for fishers together with limited capacity and skills within projects were identified as the main barriers to have meaningful fishers' participation, flagging some critical challenges for the FIP model. Finally, Paper IV uses a literature review of the social embeddedness theory within fisheries literature to explore how social context influences economic actions in fisheries trade. The paper emphasizes the importance of how social identity (e.g., ethnicity) shapes market access and how the level of (dis)trust between actors impacts trade strategies. It discusses the implications of these findings for research and implementation of FIPs and other market-based interventions. Together, these four papers contribute with novel empirically grounded understandings of FIPs, which is relevant for the growing literature around private governance as well as for the global community of practice within the sustainable seafood movement. These papers provide important insights into the ongoing debate about effective governance approaches for improving the sustainability of fisheries for both people and ecosystems

Reeling in private governance approaches for sustainable fisheries : A study of Fishery Improvement Projects

In response to the global fisheries crisis new governance models have been developed. In this thesis, I study one such model, Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), that have increased in numbers and importance globally, yet received little scientific attention. Alongside seafood certifications schemes, FIPs have been developed to meet the growing demand for sustainable seafood. By employing a multi-stakeholder approach, these projects aim to use the power of the private sector to improve fishery management and fishing practices. However, processes within these projects, and how they function as an instrument of change to improve fisheries, have been particularly understudied. This thesis explores the potential benefits and challenges of FIPs as a private governance approach for achieving sustainable fisheries. Paper I presents the first global systematic description of FIPs governance processes by examining reported actions, the actors involved, and their achievements. It reveals that FIPs have influenced both governmental policy (e.g., through management plans and new governmental management bodies) and industry-led practices (e.g., traceability programs and gear changes). It also demonstrates that FIPs include a diversity of actors, although fishers and retailers are relatively absent in FIP actions. The paper proposes that FIP actions and outputs can be categorized as either complementary or reinforcing of state regulations. Paper II contributes with an in-depth case study of the blue swimming crab FIP in Indonesia. By using the lens of institutional entrepreneurship, the study provides a historical analysis of the value chain from village fishers in Indonesia to importers in the US. It describes the entrepreneurship behind the FIP’s establishment and its institutional interventions, as well as addresses why these have been unsuccessful in changing behaviours of fishers and traders to increase the ecological sustainability. The paper expands on the theoretical understanding of institutional entrepreneurship. Paper III presents an overview of how fishers participate in FIPs based on data from FIP implementers world-wide. Fishers are mostly involved in data collection efforts and less involved in developing FIP workplans and objectives indicating that they are not involved in the early development process of the FIP. The lack of overall benefits for fishers together with limited capacity and skills within projects were identified as the main barriers to have meaningful fishers' participation, flagging some critical challenges for the FIP model. Finally, Paper IV uses a literature review of the social embeddedness theory within fisheries literature to explore how social context influences economic actions in fisheries trade. The paper emphasizes the importance of how social identity (e.g., ethnicity) shapes market access and how the level of (dis)trust between actors impacts trade strategies. It discusses the implications of these findings for research and implementation of FIPs and other market-based interventions. Together, these four papers contribute with novel empirically grounded understandings of FIPs, which is relevant for the growing literature around private governance as well as for the global community of practice within the sustainable seafood movement. These papers provide important insights into the ongoing debate about effective governance approaches for improving the sustainability of fisheries for both people and ecosystems

Fishery Improvement Projects as a governance tool for fisheries sustainability: A global comparative analysis.

Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) are a form of private governance using seafood supply chains to reduce environmental impacts of fishing in some of the most challenged fisheries. Some FIPs are industry-led, others are championed by NGOs. They range across many different fishery types, in both high- and low-income settings. Their diversity is notable, and their proliferation remarkable. This rapid growth suggests FIPs are becoming a key feature of the fisheries governance landscape globally. Based on a global sample of 107 FIPs, we systematically examined their reported actions, the actors involved, and their achievements in terms of policy and practice outputs. The most common actions were dialogues with policy stakeholders, data collection, and educational efforts directed at fishers. Common policy outputs included development of management plans and/or a management body, and rules for limiting entry and increasing compliance. Practice related outputs were dominated by gear changes, and observer and traceability programs. Only crab and lobster FIPs engaged in sustained policy conversations as one of the most common actions. Shrimp and tuna fisheries report more engagement in testing and implementing changes to fishery practices. While supply chain actors are involved in all FIPs, retailers and 1st tier suppliers are relatively absent from FIP activities, and are primarily involved in rallying financial support or some policy engagement. Based on our analysis we discuss the opportunities and challenges FIPs will likely need to engage with to contribute to a global transition to more socially and environmentally sustainable fisheries. We outline key areas where further work is needed to understand how FIPs can improve their contribution to global fisheries governance in the future

Fishery Improvement Projects - A Preliminary Analysis of Strategies and Outputs

As the demand for sustainably caught seafood increases, market actors are increasingly interested in engaging with initiatives to increase the sustainability of their supply chains. Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) have been implemented in many parts of the world and are a way by which retailers and their 1st and 2nd tier suppliers can promote a transition towards sustainability in their supply chains. We analyzed over 70 fisheries improvement programs (FIPs) to examine i) what strategies have been undertaken to move the FIP forward? and ii) what outputs these strategies have given rise to? We examine if there are any differences between developed and developing country FIPs with regard to their aims and their overarching strategies for influencing change. We also examine if differences can be discerned between FIP strategies and observed outputs depending on the type of actors involved in FIP initiation, leadership and coordination. Finally we qualitatively assess if and how the nature of industry involvement in FIP strategic actions affects outputs. This research can provide insight for the process of mainstreaming guidelines for FIPs across different settings.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK