ASC participated in the largest seafood expo in Asia, the China Fisheries and Seafood Show Dalian, in November. The show proved an excellent opportunity for the ASC to meet stakeholders in the Asian region.
It was also a chance to inform potential new partners from Asia about the ASC programme for responsible aquaculture. The 18th edition of the event had a record breaking attendance with over 30 per cent more visitors than the 15,000 expected and hosted more than 1,000 international exhibitors.
Sustainable Seafood Forum
The China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) China, in cooperation with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the ASC, jointly organised the inaugural Sustainable Seafood Forum, in conjunction with the event.
During the day, the forum attendees could listen to a series of presentations that emphasised the rationale for sustainability as a basis for doing business. With over 300 attendees, the good audience engagement and questions from the floor, the intention is to make this an annual event.
ASC CEO Chris Nines, who delivered a presentation on How to Encourage the Sustainability of World Aquaculture in the event’s first session said: "The Sustainable Seafood Forum demonstrated that sustainability and other consumer concerns such as food safety are topical issues of importance. These areas are clearly on people’s minds and there is an appetite in the region to address them through a range of public and market based interventions. I would like to particularly thank the leadership of the Chinese Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association and WWF China for their work to establish the forum. It provided a welcome platform to exchange ideas and ignite discussion about sustainability in the Asian seafood market. We will certainly continue to support this forum into the future."
Tilapia Forum
ASC was also invited to take part in the 10th International Tilapia Industry Development Forum, organised by CAPPMA and WWF China. The forum gave experts from different fields the opportunity to discuss the global production of farmed tilapia – the second largest species of fish farmed worldwide. Almost three million metric tonnes of tilapia is farmed each year, with an estimated 40 per cent produced in China, the leading tilapia exporter worldwide.
ASC Commercial Manager Esther Luiten, who provided an overview of the ASC certification programme and the establishment of a green supply chain for tilapia, explained: “Getting front-running ASC certified Chinese tilapia farms and establishing solid uptake of their products by the market in Europe, and hopefully also in the US, is a real and huge step forward. It is an immense achievement if the ASC program facilitates Chinese producers to take stewardship of their industry.”
