Message from the President
In Ocean Garden's 49-year history, I am quite certain that this is the company's proudest moment. On July 28th, we signed a groundbreaking agreement, after considerable debate and negotiation, in Puerto Peñasco, state of Sonora, Mexico. This initial pact is the start of a long-term sustainability initiative, a movement about local communities, families and fishermen that's focused on creating a strong future for the Gulf of California / Sea of Cortez.
First, some background information. At the last minute, I decided to radically change my June address at the Institute of the America's Second Annual Conference on Latin American Sustainable Development. The conference agenda was designed to address the business of the environment in Latin America. Originally, I wanted to share Mexico's experience in producing safe, ecologically friendly seafood. However, I decided to focus specifically on the complex issues facing our fishermen in the Upper Gulf of California region. I spoke about our plans to be bold; to aggressively seek a comprehensive agreement for this unique area.
So now, I am delighted that as a first step, Ocean Garden in cooperation with the Mexican fishermen, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and ProNatura (Mexico's largest environmental organization) signed this landmark agreement to protect the region's sea life, improve the efficiency of the shrimp fishery and wipe out illegal fishing in the Upper Gulf of California. In expectation of the upcoming Mexican shrimp season, these parties will work together to preserve the region's ecosystem and keep intact the historic fisheries that support thousands of local families.
We are extremely pleased with our Mexican fishermen who were receptive to outside ideas and willing to make changes in support of the environment. The fishermen recognized that their long-established, homegrown industry would set an example for the global shrimp trade by continuing to provide premium, ecologically sound seafood within the most efficient fisheries possible.
Ocean Garden has already begun work towards creating a highly efficient fishery by introducing its new product traceability program. This quality control effort will go a long way in stamping out illegal fishing by offering distributors the ability to track a shrimp's lifecycle including product origin, processing plant, lot, warehouse, and truck / shipping method. As a result, distributors and end-users benefit from a transparent, easy-to-trace process with more comprehensive food labeling and better inventory control. Under this program, it will be more difficult for the illegal fishermen to thrive.
The pact's success will require cooperation and expertise from disparate groups including fishermen, scientists, environmental organizations, and U.S. and Mexican government officials who must acknowledge the many different viewpoints and sometimes conflicting interpretation of data related to marine species and environmental impact.
It's not often that business executives, attorneys, environmentalists, scientists and fishermen are able to reach consensus on such complex and contentious issues — issues with far-reaching consequences that affect the livelihood of our local communities and the preservation of our seas. Shrimping is a mainstay in the Sea of Cortez with approximately 4,500 jobs reliant on the shrimp business in San Felipe, Puerto Peñasco and the Gulf of Santa Clara. Approximately 1,200 two- or three-man boats, 100 large trawlers with seven-man crews, and six processing plants make up the region's historic shrimp trade.
It was during early discussions with the Natural Resources Defense Council that we realized the importance of including the Mexican fishermen in agenda setting for long-term success. How could we possibly make meaningful changes without incorporating the opinions and practices of the people whose livelihood depend on the very fisheries in question?
Although many are not traditionally educated, our fishermen are technologically advanced, progressive in their thinking and have recognized from the start that being ahead of the curve from the standpoint of sustainability is good business. Ocean Garden invited representative fishermen to participate in our initial discussions in San Diego this past June. We then recommended that the next meeting take place in Puerto Peñasco, state of Sonora, Mexico so that, for once, the fishermen had the home-field advantage. To facilitate our dialogue in both San Diego and Puerto Peñasco, we enlisted the NGO "Noroeste Sustentable," a cross-border association of environmentally-minded business leaders, as moderator. These efforts paid off by allowing decision makers to take into account the perspectives and concerns of those living and working in the region.
Because of contention around the shrimping industry's relationship with the vaquita marina porpoise and initial requests for Ocean Garden to 'stop buying Mexican shrimp' because of reported interactions with this rare species, we asked the ocean conservation foundation, Ocean Trust, to help us assimilate the science behind the protection of the region's rich sea life. Ocean Trust, which has recently completed an in-depth study of the Sea of Cortez fishery, participated in our meetings to provide an additional science-based point of view.
Our second step, were meetings in Tijuana, state of Baja California, Mexico, on August 21 and 22. Here, our Company, NRDC and the Mexican bay and boat fishermen were joined by other NGOs, each with specific areas of expertise; key representatives from the Sonora and Baja California state governments; plus high-level officers from SEMARNAT, Mexico's federal agency in charge of environmental affairs and natural resources. This was truly a "big tent" meeting, achieving real progress towards the fulfillment of our objectives.
Because of the reputation of Authentic Mexican Shrimp as a premium product, we believe that this cooperative approach and landmark pact could influence the shrimp industry around the world. Just as Ocean Garden has created the global benchmark for seafood's quality control — from raw material to exportation — we are now working with our producers, scientists, environmentalists and other experts to create the framework for the shrimp fisheries of the future. I can assure you that this is a long-term commitment on behalf of our company. Preserving the sustainability of the Gulf of California is a worthy task. We will keep you informed of our progress in the months ahead.
Antonio Diaz
President & CEO
Ocean Garden Products
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