By Seafood Savers Team and Annisa Ruzuar
Bangkok, Thailand - After participating in the World Ocean Business Forum in Manado last week (14/5), Seafood Savers took part in the World of Seafood Expo 2014 in Bangkok today (22/5). The event is part of the 10th annual THAIFEX exhibition. For Seafood Savers, this is a great opportunity to meet with some of the world's leading fisheries companies.

The unfavorable security situation in Thailand did not discourage visitors from coming. The exhibition, which ran from May 21-23, was only open to buyers and only opened to the public on the weekend. This event is more intended as a transaction and networking event between the world's fisheries industry players including producers, manufacturers, and international traders. Seafood Savers and WWF-Thailand are the only non-profit organizations participating in this exhibition, which is not uncommon to generate curiosity from visitors.

Several large fishing companies that source their fisheries from Indonesia were targeted by Seafood Savers. Based on the observations of the Seafood Savers team, the majority of exhibitors do not have MSC or ASC certified fishery products. When explained by the Seafood Savers team, they also generally had never heard of the two certificates. The few companies that already have MSC and ASC certified products have only marketed their products in Europe and America. The Asian market alone does not yet have a sufficient market for sustainably certified products according to them.

"Some companies mentioned that they have heard about MSC or ASC. But since their buyers don't ask for certified products, there has been no real move from the companies to obtain both certificates," explains Niki Nofari from Seafood Savers. As is the case in Indonesia, companies still see the certification process as an additional cost rather than a long-term investment.

Therefore, in this World of Seafood Expo, Seafood Savers invited WWF Thailand to jointly socialize sustainable fisheries and its long-term benefits. "With this collaboration, it is expected that Thai fisheries companies that bring their fish from Indonesia can direct their suppliers to Seafood Savers. In addition, the socialization of sustainable fisheries practices must also be carried out continuously so that the message can be more widespread," continued Niki.

Just like at WOBF, Seafood Savers also opened a booth at the World of Seafood Expo. Visitors who come are generally buyers who are interested in sustainability issues in fisheries. It is hoped that some of these potential fisheries companies will later join the Seafood Savers initiative. We #choose2save!