IFFO RS and other representatives from the Multispecies Pilot Steering Group (MPSG) are meeting with stakeholders in Thailand this month to discuss the continued development of the IFFO RS Multispecies Pilot project and share information with representatives from the developing FIP in the Gulf of Thailand. The objective of the multispecies pilot is to enable the assessment of highly complex fisheries in which sometimes hundreds of species are regularly caught using a robust and credible framework. Clear guidance on expectations and recognition during the pilot process will also be communicated. This pilot will be considered as one of the requirements for acceptance onto the IFFO RS Improver Programme and over time work towards full IFFO RS approval.

Following this, Libby Woodhatch Executive Chair at IFFO RS is leading a panel at the Seaweb Seafood 2019 Summit in Bangkok titled ‘The Power of Collaboration in Driving Improvements in Feed Fisheries through FIPs’. This is a multi-stakeholder panel comprised of industry, NGOs and standard holders based and/or working in SE Asia, which will discuss the growing requirements of the aquaculture supply chain for responsible supply, including assurances around the protection of human rights, fish for direct human consumption and the need for collaboration and harmonization in the approaches that are adopted to ensure consistency, increase global uptake and to avoid over-burdening the sector.