Background

The WWF-Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) is an awareness and voluntary compliance campaign that plays a key role in empowering consumers, thought leaders and other ambassadors with the tools and information to put pressure on, and create motivation for, retailers to implement sustainable seafood strategies. Research undertaken by WWF-SA has shown that while SASSI has managed to build a groundswell of consumer support in the Western Cape, similar levels of awareness among consumers in Gauteng, SA’s largest metropolis, have not yet been achieved. Given that Gauteng is the second-highest consumer of seafood in South Africa, it is thus critical to target this region as a key seafood hub.

At the same time, it is important to recognise that a significant amount of seafood on the Gauteng market is imported, often illegally, from neighbouring countries such as Mozambique. Preventing the importation of illegal and unsustainable seafood from these countries, through improving the Gauteng compliance and enforcement network, is key to ensuring that the legal traders with whom WWF is working are not undermined. Improved compliance will also help to drive improvements of neighbouring countries’ fisheries as the market for illegal and unsustainable seafood is reduced.

The aim of the project

WWF-SASSI, through the WWF Nedbank Green Trust funds, aims to develop this seafood hub in Gauteng and build a groundswell of informed and aware consumers who will drive change in seafood space to one that is sustainable and ecologically friendly.