Emma Desrochers is a freelance journalist based in Waialua, Hawaii, who writes about fisheries and sustainability. She graduated from Yale University in June 2021 with an undergraduate degree in environmental studies and mechanical engineering. She has contributed to the environmental conservation field through internships located in Ecuador, Thailand, and Hawaii.
Author Archive
The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s 2022 reduction fisheries assessment has raised concerns over the continued stagnation of movement on sustainability in the sector since 2018.
Published on 19 April, the report is the 13th edition of SFP’s assessment of the world’s reduction fisheries, which are fisheries that focus on stocks used mainly for fishmeal and fish oil. SFP released the 2022 report in two parts to better
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The Fishery Transparency Initiative (FiTI), a global partnership aiming to increase transparency and participation in marine sustainable management among fisheries, released an assessment on 28 February labeling the U.S. as a global leader in fisheries transparency.
FiTI published the report, “Taking Stock: Online Transparency of Fisheries Management Information for the United States of America,” as part of its Taking Stock
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U.S. fishermen who work in New England, Alaska, the South Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico traveled to Washington D.C. from 6 to 9 February, 2023, to call for reform of current catch-share programs through the Magnuson-Stevens Act – a revision of which is currently being negotiated by the U.S. Congress.
Catch shares, or limited-access fisheries, are management strategies that assign a proportion of a total allowable catch or quota to a
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Global squid fisheries increased their collective fishing effort by 68 percent over the past three years, and 86 percent of that effort has taken place in unregulated areas of the high seas, according to new research.
The rapid increase has many global fisheries experts concerned about overexploitation of squid stocks, the potential for the expansion of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the fate of small-scale fishers
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The new Coalition for Fisheries Transparency has published a framework to create a common language advocates can use to enhance sustainability and transparency efforts across global seafood supply chains.
The framework, called the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, includes ten principles for the coalition to use when promoting seafood traceability and transparency. Members and leaders of the coalition include several
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The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) partnered with Longline Environment to develop a new map-based tool to identify shrimp farming locations close to mangroves to identify “hot spots” for industry attention so shrimp farming can be a driver for mangrove restoration and protection.
“Mangroves should not be lost to aquaculture or indeed any other purpose as they are a habitat under threat and provide a wide range of
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Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) Executive Director Herman Wisse officially departed the organization on 31 March, 2023, after a decade with the seafood certification group.
Wisse, who said he is leaving the role to spend more time with his family, was instrumental to the formation of GSSI. In 2012 he was asked by a group of industry leaders to develop a project proposal to get GSSI under way, including Ahold Delhaize, Metro Group,
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The newest strategic plan from the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is keeping Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification as a central tenant as the organization advocates for more sustainable wild-caught seafood.
The ISSF Strategic Plan for 2023-2027, "Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability," was released 28 February, 2023. The plan highlights ISSF research, advocacy, and its approach to
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The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) and the Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification program have agreed to a memorandum of understanding with the goal of reducing certification costs and promoting market options for certified seafood.
Both entities will remain separate in regards to ownership, communications, and funding. But the agreement will result in a reduction of the number of audits required and number of certification
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Greenpeace USA has given 15 out of 16 of the largest U.S. grocers a failing grade on addressing environmental sustainability and human rights issues in their tuna sourcing.
Its latest report on the subject, “The High Cost of Cheap Tuna,” released in February 2023, gave only Aldi receiving a passing grade. The report was issued as part of a global campaign to protect and conserve tuna stocks by changing consumer attitudes and
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