November 1st, 2016
To:
Steering Committee Members of the Southeast Asian Shrimp Aquaculture Improvement Protocol (SEASAIP)
and Other Interested Stakeholders
Re:
Invitation to the 7th Meeting of the Steering Committee for the Southeast Asian Shrimp Aquaculture
Improvement Protocol (SEASAIP), February 14-15, 2017, in Bangkok, Thailand
Dear Sir/Madam,
On behalf of the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative, I am pleased to invite you to the 7th Steering Committee
of the Southeast Asian Shrimp Aquaculture Improvement Protocol (SEASAIP) that will be held at the Grande
Centre Point Ploenchit in Bangkok, Thailand on February 14-15, 2017.
The SEASAIP program was developed by the USAID Maximizing Agricultural Revenue through Knowledge, Enterprise
Development, and Trade (MARKET) Project which ended in June 2015. The project succeeded in developing multiple
drafts of the SEASAIP tool and engaging a large group of shrimp industry stakeholders in Southeast Asia. After the
MARKET project ended, the convener role was passed by unanimous vote of the Steering Committee to Monterey Bay
Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program who succeeded in getting funding to continue the development of the tool in 2016.
The steering committee was reconvened in January 2016 for the 5th Steering Committee meeting followed by preassessments of 13 farms in four countries against the SEASAIP Level 1 Standard. SEASAIP Level 1 was officially
finalized and approved by Seafood Watch as a “Good Alternative” in June 2016. In July 2016, the first SEASAIP audits
were conducted in Thailand and the Philippines. The 6th Steering Committee Meeting was also held in July to review the
results of the recent activities and plan the next steps. Since July, SEASAIP has been developing farming partnerships in
Indonesia and Vietnam where audits are planned early in 2017. The 7th Steering Committee will help steering committee
members and other stakeholders take the next steps in the process.
The objectives of the 7th Steering Committee Meeting are to:
1. Confirm the goals, vision, and scale of the SEASAIP program into 2017
2. Review the results from the improvement program, including farms audited in July and in January 2017, and
consider any required updates to the verification system
3. Consider options to expand the use of SEASAIP to other Asian countries (e.g. Bangladesh and India)
4. Find ways to connect SEASAIP partners with technology innovators who might be able to support the
improvement of SEASAIP supply chains in novel ways
5. Review drafts and public comments received regarding SEASAIP Level 2 (Seafood Watch Green) for both
extensive black tiger shrimp and intensive white shrimp
6. Review results from the first SEASAIP student projects being conducted in Vietnam
7. Review options to integrate social verifications into the SEASAIP program
8. Consider options for working with groups and clusters of farmers
9. Explore options to work with buyers interested in SEASAIP from the USA, Singapore, and Europe
I hope you will be able to join us as we take the next critical step in the development of the SEASAIP Program.
To confirm your attendance, please send an email confirmation to [email protected] before January 15, 2017.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Yours Sincerely,
Corey Peet
Project Coordinator