As one key element of our work on post-Brexit food and fishing policy, Sustain’s sustainable fishing policy activities are led by campaign coordinator Ruth Westcott. Ruth is a fisheries policy specialist.
Ruth co-ordinates Sustainable Fish Cities, a campaign which encourages businesses to adopt a fully sustainable fish policy, and thereby help transform the way the world's oceans are fished. The campaign began in London, inspired by the Food Vision of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and is now being adopted by cities across the UK.
Ruth joined Sustain from the Marine Stewardship Council, and is a graduate of the University of Oxford and Imperial College, London, where she was awarded the Fishmongers' Company Scholarship.
Who we work with on sustainable fish
We regularly work with, and consult with the following organisations, to develop the Sustain alliance's activities on sustainable fisheries policy:
The Food Research Collaboration: Coordinated by the Centre for Food Policy at City University London, facilitates joint working by academics and civil society to improve the UK food system, including running seminars involving academics, civil society, policy-makers and industry. A key focus for this work over the next few years will be Brexit, and co-creating better governance for food, farming, fishing and trade. Sustain has instigated or contributed to several research initiatives and sits on the advisory group for the collaboration.
Greener UK is a group of 13 major environmental organisations, with a combined public membership of 7.9 million (some of which organisations are also members of the Sustain alliance). They are united in the belief that leaving the EU is a pivotal moment to restore and enhance the UK’s environment. Sustain sits on several working groups of Greener UK and Wildlife & Countryside Link (see below) and has a close working relationship on policy development, advocacy and communications work, in relation to post-Brexit environmental policy.
Marine Conservation Society: (MCS) the UK charity dedicated to the protection of the marine environment and its wildlife, which publishes authoritative sustainability ratings of fish and fisheries, see: http://www.fishonline.org/
Marine Stewardship Council: (MSC) which runs a fishery certification programme and seafood ecolabel to help consumers pick the best environmental choice in seafood. Also provides MSC Chain of Custody certification so that fisheries and seafood businesses can get certified to the MSC standards to show that they support sustainable fishing.
New Economics Foundation, the think-tank that aims to create a new economy that by 2040 works for people and within environmental limits.
Wildlife and Countryside Link brings together 46 environment and animal protection organisations to advocate for the conservation and protection of wildlife, countryside and the marine environment. Taken together they have the support of over eight million people in the UK and manage over 750,000 hectares of land. Sustain sits on several working groups of Greener UK and Wildlife & Countryside Link (see below) and has a close working relationship on policy development, advocacy and communications work, in relation to post-Brexit environmental policy.
Supporters
Sustain’s work on sustainable fishing policy is supported by the John Ellerman Foundation.
Brexit: We stand at a cross-roads. When the UK leaves the European Union, will our leaders uphold good standards for our food, farming, fishing and trade deals? And will they agree a sensible deal with the EU? We need to make sure that they do!
