Early-stage social enterprise Seafood Positive has launched OneFishTwoFish, a program which aims to return two fish to the sea for every fish or seafood equivalent cooked, sold or consumed.
OneFishTwoFish founder, marine biologist and ocean conservationist Chris Gillies said Australians eat more than 356,000 tonnes of seafood each year, and OneFishTwoFish aims to provide a simple way for seafood lovers to give back to the ocean.
“The funds will help provide finance for third-party ocean conservation programs including seagrass and reef restoration, and fish restocking programs to measurably improve fish and marine life across Australia,” said Gilles.
OneFishTwoFish's projects use two methods for returning fish to the sea: fish habitat restoration and assisted breeding (or fish restocking).
The program can't always replace two fish for every fish sold or consumed on a ‘like-for-like’ basis, but it says the initiatives it supports endeavour to holistically increase fish stock in the ocean. For some pelagic or deep sea fish species, habitat restoration or assisted breeding is not yet possible; therefore OneFishTwoFish focuses on improving coastal ecosystems and fisheries.
To calculate the number of fish returned to the sea through habitat restoration, OneFishTwoFish use a simplified fisheries model. Projects calculate the number and type of additional fish created at one year of age in the newly restored habitat compared to unrestored habitat. The calculations are measured over a 10 year period and discounts are applied to ensure estimates remain conservative. For assisted breeding, the number of fish returned at the time of release is used.
“OneFishTwoFish helps seafood restaurants, businesses, retailers and consumers balance their seafood consumption by replacing each fish they serve, sell or eat with two more in the ocean. This solves an ethical dilemma for sustainability-conscious seafood consumers and provides a way to positively connect seafood consumption with ocean health,” said Gilles.
OneFishTwoFish has an advisory committee that includes representatives from the seafood industry, marine conservation groups, the public service and business to ensure funding for programs that meet or exceed global biodiversity offset standards.
The program is also supported by respected stakeholder groups, including the Australian seafood industry, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, CQUniversity and OzFish Unlimited.
OneFishTwoFish is funded by annual subscriptions that can be bought by either members of the public or businesses, and is launching with a platinum selection of foundation supporters including Taronga Zoo, Melbourne’s Stokehouse restaurant, Stomping Ground Brewing Co, Two Hands and The Happy Apple supermarkets.
Individuals, couples and families who subscribe a certificate, information about sustainable seafood, seafood recipes, interviews with chefs, stories on the latest marine science and technology, and updates on the projects their subscriptions are supporting.
Business subscribers receive project images, videos and stories to use, marketing collateral, logo use and invitations to special events. They can also be provided with access to OneFishTwoFish’s sustainable seafood network that connects like-minded businesses and customers.
Gillies hopes to achieve B-Corp certification and expand the OneFishTwoFish programs from Australia to other countries in the near future.
“We’ve already seen that programs like this work. The global carbon market is worth $851 billion and delivers finance to many conservation and restoration projects around the world. More than 130 countries use biodiversity offsets.
“One of the best ways of re-creating healthy fish populations is to make sure young fish survive beyond their first few weeks of life, and we can do that by restoring the habitats that nurture fish and through targeted breeding programs,” said Gilles.
