Saving Seafood

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) Partner to Advance Gender Equity in the Global Seafood Sector

October 15, 2024 — The following was released by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and Seafood and Gender Equality:

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) today signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding to advance gender equity in the global seafood sector. The two organizations – leaders in addressing environmental and social responsibility in fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood production – announced their partnership at the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions annual conference.

The partnership will focus on engaging with SFP’s Supply Chain Roundtables (SRs), to provide them with the knowledge, expertise, and resources they need to address gender inequalities in their respective sectors. SRs, which are convened and facilitated by SFP, bring together major buyers and importers of seafood in a particular sector to work together pre-competitively to scale up individual initiatives and jointly advocate for better fisheries policy and management. This engagement will introduce SR member companies to SAGE’s flagship Gender Equality Dialogues (GED) program, which promotes innovation and workforce development in the sector by co-creating space for industry leaders to develop actionable solutions to address gender inequalities.
“The SRs have a singular purpose – to drive significant and measurable change to fisheries sustainability. We are excited to work with SFP and the SRs to explore the incorporation of a gender component to this work, as it has been shown that, by empowering women and historically excluded groups, we can achieve our goals around environmental improvements faster and at scale,” said Julie Kuchepatov, founder of SAGE.
Because the seafood sector is facing challenges on multiple fronts – from increasing scrutiny around human rights violations in seafood production to an uncertain and volatile business climate – it has deprioritized introspection of its own role in improving the work experience of underserved people in the sector. However, all these challenges are interrelated.
Another key focus of this partnership is to pilot SAGE’s gender equity index tool to assess SFP’s internal operations.
“Diverse workforces attract top talent and reduce employee turnover, and research shows that gender diversity in leadership is linked to higher profitability,” says Jim Cannon, chief executive officer of SFP. “I am keen to assess our own operations and apply what we learn from SAGE’s assessment because we owe it to our current and future workforce to periodically reflect on and adapt our policies to foster inclusivity and, thereby, innovation.”
SAGE is currently recruiting participant companies for the next GED cohort, scheduled to begin in early 2025. If you’re interested in participating in the next GED cohort or would like to learn more about SAGE’s gender equity index tool, contact Becca Williams at becca@seafoodandgenderequality.org. Read more about the GED on SAGE’s website here.

SAGE lands $715K for gender equality in seafood

September 20, 2024 — Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) earned two philanthropic grants totaling $715,000 from the Builders Initiative Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation to further its mission to build a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable seafood sector.

Founded in 2020, SAGE is building a strong foundation for future impact and growth, increasing attention around the issues of gender inequality in the seafood sector and sparking a movement to acknowledge the critical contributions of women who are invaluable, yet often invisible. These grants send a strong signal that a dire need to address inequities in the seafood sector exists and that gender equality and empowering women are priorities. Jelani Odlum, Program Officer at Builders Initiative, agrees and says, “By championing gender equality in the seafood industry, we are actively shaping the future we want to see. SAGE is urging seafood companies to evaluate their practices, address biases, and implement decisive measures to promote gender equality within their operations. We are pleased to partner with them to advance change in the industry and cultivate a more inclusive and sustainable seafood sector.”

For the next three years, this funding will support the implementation of the Gender Equality Dialogues (GED), where seafood executives convene to align on the issues, commit to action, and leave equipped with the tools to advance equity within their operations. “We are so grateful to Builders Initiative Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation for this incredible support.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

JULIE KUCHEPATOV: Northern Lights: The women behind our seafood

March 8, 2021 — Fifty percent of people involved in global seafood production are women. But you may not know it because few women occupy leadership positions in the sector and seldom participate in critical discussions and decision-making about precious fisheries resources.

Seafood and Gender Equality was founded in 2020 to address a critical need for gender equality in the seafood sector, build women’s empowerment, and encourage the industry to evolve into a more diverse, inclusive and equitable career choice for people of all genders. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, gender equality means that the different behavior, aspirations, and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favored equally.

Women play a significant role in U.S. fisheries and can be found fishing from Alaska’s Bristol Bay to the Gulf of Maine, and they are particularly concentrated in pre- and post-harvest activities. Women in U.S. fisheries have been celebrated by organizations, such as the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute in its Strong at Sea campaign and in online publications like MarthaStewart.com.

While there is much to celebrate, the information on how many women make a career in this industry and how they participate is spotty, difficult to find, and not updated regularly. But we know that men continue to dominate.

“Knowing how women participate directly in fishing and within fishing families and communities is critical to predicting and understanding responses to fishery changes — from individuals, to families, all the way up to communities,” said Marysia Szymkowiak, lead author of a recent NOAA study on women’s participation in global fisheries.

Read the full opinion piece at National Fisherman