Italy – The Friend of the Sea (FOS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institution of Aquaculture Singapore (IAS), in which the two organizations will work collaboratively toward responsible aquaculture development in Singapore. Friend of the Sea, a project of the World Sustainability Organization (WSO) that serves as the preeminent certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, will serve as the driving force behind the collaboration. It has a presence in more than 70 countries.
“We are very pleased to be working with the IAS, focusing on the promotion of the aquaculture businesses in sustainable ways which align with our mission,” said Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea. “This MoU is the first step in what we both envision as a long and fruitful partnership.”
The IAS intends to bring the leading industry players in Singapore and beyond onto one platform for sustainability in aquaculture. Their goal is to enable future security for the food supply chain along with security through partnerships and collaborations. According to Amod Ashok Salgaonkar, one of the Friend of the Sea’s Global Advisory Board Members, “Singapore is now aspiring to increase its food self-sufficiency from less than 10% today (2019) to 30% by 2030, also known as ‘30-by-30’ target. Fisheries and aquaculture can become one of the main contributors in maintaining food security of the country.”
Jimmy Lim, President of the Institution of Aquaculture Singapore, expressed his thoughts on this occasion and said, “The Institution of Aquaculture Singapore (IAS) was founded in 2014 to promote the development of sustainable aquaculture in Singapore. Receiving exclusive support from the internationally known Friend of the Sea (FOS) will strengthen our objectives to expand the sector in more sustainable ways to achieve the food self-sufficiency initiatives of the government of Singapore.”
Both organizations view the collaboration as important in the present time, given the challenges of COVID-19, when Singapore as a country decided to promote the food sector, especially the farming and production segments.
About Friend of the Sea
Friend of the Sea, a project of the Friend of the Sea, awards sustainable practices in Fisheries, Aquaculture, Fishmeal and Omega 3 Fish Oil. The organization promotes pilot projects related to restaurants, sustainable shipping, whale and dolphin-watching, aquaria, ornamental fish, UV creams and others. It is the only sustainable fisheries certification program recognized and supervised globally by a National Accreditation Body.
For more information, visit https://friendofthesea.org/
