« November 2008 Table of Contents 
Point of View: Lydia Bergen
Associate director, Sustainable Fisheries Initiative, New England Aquarium, Boston
November 01, 2008
More companies within the seafood industry need to take the
first step toward sustainability. Some are talking about
sustainable seafood and how they can make a difference, but
moving from thoughts to action is crucial to protecting the
future of our seafood supply.
The New England Aquarium was one of the first conservation
organizations to partner with individual seafood companies to
bring about change. More than eight years of collaboration has
shown us that while companies are a hugely powerful force for
improving the seafood industry, most of them can't turn on a
dime and completely overhaul the way they do
business.
But we need more companies to start that journey if the
movement is going to advance. Companies need to make
commitments to improve the way they do business and begin
taking steps toward fulfilling those commitments.
Some companies have made commitments to improve over time
and started the journey with one small step forward. Others
have pledged to completely overhaul their policies and
practices very quickly. For example, Wal-Mart made a commitment
to sell only Marine Stewardship Council-certified product for
all of its wild-caught items within three years, which has
catalyzed significant changes along its supply chain.
The sustainable seafood movement will only advance if more
companies take action. This change does not have to happen
overnight, but it will never happen if seafood companies don't
make a commitment to improve - the first step toward greater
seafood sustainability.