Seafood Task Force Celebrates 10th Anniversary At Annual Summit In Bangkok
Bangkok, 17th October 2024
The Seafood Task Force (STF) held its annual summit at the Sukhothai Bangkok as it celebrates its tenth anniversary alongside industry leaders, NGOs and government officials. The gathering in Thailand saw over 140 representatives take in 15 sessions over two days on 15th-16th October. An optional Day 3, saw many join field trips to visit the Thai Government's Department of Fisheries and a selection of farms from member supply chains.
Ken Kimble, Chairman, STF and Martin Thurley, Executive Director, STF, jointly opened the summit, recapping how through a decade of collective efforts, the Task Force has made significant strides when it comes to driving meaningful reforms.
Over the two days, participants engaged in discussions that focused on improving supply chain transparency, fostering collaboration, and developing step-by-step work plans to drive oversight and continuous improvement in both tuna and shrimp supply chains.
Day one highlights included sessions on the latest legislative agenda of the Royal Thai Government, progress updates on both tuna and shrimp supply chains as well as a look at conversion-free farming. Special guests included Dr. Jason Clay, the World Wildlife Fund’s Senior Vice President, Markets, who spoke about seafood production and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions. As well as a recommendations and insights session led by the STF's External Stakeholder Advisory Group (ESA).
Day two saw delegates join their respective sub-groups for action plan development. Key topics included implementation of STF's responsible recruitment programme in both the tuna and shrimp industries, oversight expansion across Asia, as well as a focus on STF’s latest members from India discussing the creation of their 12- month action plan.
At the conclusion of the summit, STF Executive Director, Martin Thurley said:
“I think, this has arguably been our best summit to date. We've seen over 140 people come together from across our member's tuna and shrimp supply chains. We have good momentum and it’s great that we've now established working groups for both Indonesia and Vietnam as well as India.
“We continue to have the hard conversations that are needed to disrupt the status quo. It's the only real way to push things forward and achieve impact at scale."
The Seafood Task Force’s 2024 Annual Summit reasserted the organisation’s role as a leading force in shaping a sustainable and ethical seafood industry. With the Seafood Task Force now confidently entering its second decade, its remit will remain focused on driving positive change allowing its members to trade with confidence.
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