Report on the Third Annual Shrimp Summit: Aligning Smallholder Aquaculture with the Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

This report analyzes the key outcomes of the third annual Shrimp Summit, hosted by The Centre for Responsible Seafood (TCRS). The summit focused on the critical role of smallholder shrimp farmers in the global seafood industry and the necessity of securing social license to operate. The discussions and recommendations presented directly align with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning poverty, decent work, responsible production, and global partnerships. The central conclusion is that the long-term viability of the shrimp sector is contingent upon its ability to integrate social accountability and sustainable practices, thereby contributing to global development targets.

Analysis of Key Issues and Recommendations

The Challenge of Social License in the Context of the SDGs

The summit underscored that the global shrimp industry’s stability is threatened by social risks prevalent in small-scale farming operations, which constitute a significant portion of production. These challenges directly impede progress on multiple SDGs.

• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Risks such as labor violations and poor working conditions in small-scale farms undermine the principles of decent work.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): While aquaculture can be a pathway out of poverty, unstable prices and debt can transform these enterprises from community benefits into burdens, exacerbating poverty and inequality.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): Widespread data gaps and low transparency in the supply chain threaten consumer confidence and hinder the development of responsible production and consumption patterns.

Complex Supply Chains and Barriers to Sustainability

Keynote speaker David Little of the University of Stirling highlighted the complexity of the shrimp value chain. Smallholder farms, which range from traditional to intensive systems, are embedded in multifaceted supply chains involving numerous upstream (breeders, hatcheries, feed suppliers) and downstream (processors, buyers, certifiers) actors. This complexity presents a significant barrier to achieving the traceability and transparency required under SDG 12. Furthermore, the high cost and intricate standards of third-party certification schemes make them largely inaccessible to smallholders, limiting a key mechanism for verifying sustainable practices.

Strategic Pathways to a Sustainable and Accountable Sector

The summit’s speakers proposed a strategic shift from compliance-focused models to proactive, collaborative approaches. These recommendations provide a clear roadmap for aligning the sector with the SDGs.

1. Adopt a Due Diligence and Risk-Based Approach: Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen of Monterey Bay Aquarium advocated for a shift from guaranteeing zero violations to guaranteeing diligent efforts to assess and address them. The promotion of tools like the Seafood Social Risk Tool enables stakeholders to proactively manage risks related to SDG 8, focusing on continuous improvement rather than punitive compliance.
2. Forge Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (SDG 17): Both speakers called for the formation of broad-based coalitions involving producers, supply chain stakeholders, and other relevant actors. This directly reflects the principles of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), emphasizing that collaborative action is essential to drive improvements in transparency, traceability, and capacity building across the entire value chain.
3. Enhance Transparency and Capacity Building: The core of the proposed solution is to build a system that is transparent and traceable, empowering smallholders through capacity building. This strategy is fundamental to achieving SDG 12, as it builds consumer trust and enables more responsible sourcing decisions, ultimately making the entire sector more socially accountable and globally credible.

Conclusion: Integrating Social Responsibility for a Resilient Shrimp Industry

The consensus from the TCRS Shrimp Summit is that the future of shrimp aquaculture is inextricably linked to its social performance. To ensure local benefits and maintain global credibility, the industry must move beyond traditional certification and embrace a collaborative, due-diligence-based framework. By actively pursuing strategies that support SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 12 (Responsible Production), and SDG 17 (Partnerships), the shrimp sector can secure its social license, mitigate risks, and position itself as a vital contributor to the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The article discusses the economic hardships faced by small-scale shrimp farmers, including unstable prices and debt, which can shift community contributions from benefits to burdens, directly connecting to poverty and economic vulnerability.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – This is a central theme, with explicit mentions of “labour violations” and the need to protect human rights within the shrimp farming sector. The focus is on ensuring fair and safe working conditions.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The article highlights issues of “poor transparency” and “complex supply chains.” It calls for traceability and improved consumer confidence, which are key components of sustainable production and consumption patterns.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water – The entire context of the article is shrimp aquaculture, a practice that involves the use of marine and coastal resources. The discussion on the long-term stability and sustainability of the industry relates to the sustainable use of aquatic resources.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The article explicitly calls for “broad-based coalitions of producers and supply chain stakeholders” to drive improvements, highlighting the necessity of multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve sustainability.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. The article’s focus on addressing “labour violations” and the recommendation to “assess and address them” directly aligns with this target.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. The overall goal of earning and maintaining a “social licence” by operating consistently with societal values, including preventing labor abuses, supports this target.

2. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. The call for “improved transparency” and the challenge of “widespread data gaps” in small-scale farms, which supply international buyers, points to the need for better reporting and sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.

3. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.b: Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets. The article’s focus is on small-scale shrimp farmers and their connection to local, regional, and international markets, emphasizing the need to ensure their operations are stable and beneficial.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The speakers’ call for “broad-based coalitions of producers and supply chain stakeholders” involving international buyers, certifiers, and local processors is a direct reference to the kind of multi-stakeholder partnerships described in this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Use of Risk Assessment Tools: The article explicitly mentions the “Seafood Social Risk Tool” and “Socio-economic Learning Framework” from Monterey Bay Aquarium. The adoption and application of these tools by stakeholders can serve as an indicator of efforts to assess and mitigate social risks, including labor violations (relevant to SDG 8).
• Implementation of Due Diligence Processes: The recommended shift “from compliance to due diligence” implies that the establishment of due diligence systems to “assess and address” labor violations is a key performance indicator, rather than simply aiming for a “zero violations” audit result (relevant to SDG 8).
• Transparency and Traceability Systems: The call for “improved transparency” and “traceability” suggests that the extent to which supply chains are transparent and products are traceable back to the farm can be measured. This could include the percentage of products with full traceability data (relevant to SDG 12).
• Formation of Multi-Stakeholder Coalitions: The number and effectiveness of “broad-based coalitions” formed among producers, supply chain stakeholders, and other actors can be an indicator of progress towards building partnerships for sustainability (relevant to SDG 17).
• Capacity Building Initiatives: The mention of “capacity building” as a method to drive improvement implies that the number of farmers and other stakeholders trained on sustainable and socially responsible practices can be a measurable indicator.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: thefishsite.com