Strong Presence for GAA at China Fisheries & Seafood Expo

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) had a strong presence at the 19th annual China Fisheries & Seafood Expo (CFSE) at the Qingdao International Exhibition Center in Qingdao, China, from Nov. 5 to 7.

Representing GAA and the Best Aquaculture Practices third-party certification program at the exposition were Carson Roper, BAP International Business Development Manager, Jane Bi, BAP Market Development Asia, and Emil Avalon, BAP Market Development Europe.

GAA co-exhibited with Wuhan Lanesync Supply Chain Management Co. Ltd., a Chinese foodservice company. GAA has a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Wuhan Lanesync to build awareness and support for responsible aquaculture practices through the Best Aquaculture Practices’s third-party certification program, and the collaboration at the CFSE is one example of how both parties are bringing seafood sustainability to China.

More than 1,200 companies exhibited at the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, Asia’s largest seafood exposition.

“We appreciated this opportunity to meet face-to face with so many BAP-certified facilities and thank them for their commitment to responsible aquaculture practices through the BAP program,” said Roper.

Carson and Bi personally met with many BAP-certified Chinese facilities exhibiting at the CFSE by delivering a copy of their certificate to their stand and thanking them for their support of the BAP program, including Tongwei Hainan Aquatic Products Co. Ltd. (pictured at left) and Hainan Xiangtai Fishery Co. Ltd. (pictured at right). Both are leading tilapia producers in Hainan, China.

“We are very proud to see the substantial presence of BAP-certified suppliers at the CFSE,” said Bi. “It speaks loud of those suppliers’ commitment to provide safe, sustainable, and environmentally and socially responsible seafood to the global market. We are glad that BAP certification program is the proof of such commitment, and we look forward to rewarding those companies who are doing the right thing by opening market for them.”

On Nov. 4 before the exposition opened, GAA attended the Sustainability Forum, sponsored in part by the China Aquatic Products Processing & Marketing Association (CAPPMA). GAA and CAPPMA also signed a MoU to build awareness and support for responsible aquaculture practices through the BAP program with CAPPMA members. As part of the agreement, Bi will speak at the 11th International Tilapia Industry Development Forum in Beihai, China, on Nov. 18 and 19. The forum is sponsored by CAPPMA.

Additionally, Bi attended in the China Chain Store & Franchise Association’s (CCFA) China Retail Leadership Summit 2014 in Fuzhou, China, on Nov. 7. The conference was attended by many of China’s leading retailers. CCFA President Ms. Geping Guo opened the summit with an overview of China’s retail industry, titled “Smart Retail — Embrace the New Consumption Era.” The all-day summit featured representatives of Vanguard, Carrefour China, Metro China, Yonghui Supermarket, RT-Mart and Wu Mart. Bi met with CCFA’s Wendy Wang to explore the possibility of GAA and CCFA working together to promote the BAP program to China’s retail industry.