Davy Lam - Seafood Choices Alliance

HOW SEAFOOD BUYERS AND
SUPPLIERS ARE IMPACTING
THE SUSTAINABILITY OF DATA‐
DEFICIENT DEVELOPING
COUNTRY FISHERIES
Davy Lam
February 2, 20190
Outline of Presenta/on
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IV.
Introduc/on – Tai Foong USA, Inc.
Loca/on
Fisheries
Uniqueness and Challenges
Tai Foong USA, Inc.
• Headquarters in SeaBle, Washington, USA
• Family owned business ‐ 3 genera/ons
• 3 Brands: Royal Asia, Northern King and
Northern Chef
www.northernchef.com
Loca/on
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Along the west coast of Baja
California, Mexico, roughly one third
of the peninsula’s length from its
southern /p, the land pokes
westward like a slightly bent elbow.
The area is a combina/on of
sparsely vegetated desert, sand
dunes, mangroves, braided streams,
shallow coastal waters, and
mountainous islands.
Almost completely surrounded by
ocean, the coastal town of Puerto
San Carlos serves as a base for
tourists visi/ng the area to watch
whales.
Grey whale migra/on
season—January through
March—brings both cetaceans and
tourists to the area.
Magdalena Bay
Magdalena Bay from Space
Magdalena Bay Fishery
• Harvested by mul/ple
genera/ons of ar/sanal
family fishermen
• 10 m panga‐style boats
are fishing for only 6 to 8
hours at night
• The primi/ve, yet
sustainable, prac/ces go
back genera/ons.
• Mul/ple licenses for
mul/ple species
Preparing Their Catch Before Dark
Fishery
• Unlicensed Day boats and fishermen
• Insufficent data like by‐catches, tonnages
etc.
• Gear Usage
• MSC‐ Preassessment done in 2009 – strong
biomass
UNIQUENESS
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Enclosed bay area
No big vessels in this area
Fresh raw material daily
Shrimp have firm texture and taste like lobster
Once frozen within hours aeer catch
No iodine taste compared to Gulf of Mexico
Challenges
Cash Flow
High Risk
Small bou/que fishery
Product recogni/on ‐ confused with other
brown shrimp
• Quality Assurance/Plant audits/Traceability
• Their culture for faster gains versus longer
sustainable gains
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Improvements
• Data Collec/on Trial for next 90 days; quota
system to be in place; gear change
• Audi/ng
• Plant renova/on ($50,000 )
• Direct protocols with fishermen data collec/on
• SFP liason with Fisheries Department and other
ngos
• Market exposure for their hard work
• Stable pricing and income for the fishermen
Co‐opera/ves Sustainable Mee/ng
December, 2009
Ready for Full Assessment ?
• MORE CHALLENGES BUT WE WILL
OVERCOME!
www.northernchef.com