SUSTAINABILITY FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2024 61 endangered species. This not only puts future job opportunities and family. businesses at risk, it also exacerbates food insecurity and public health issues. Moreover, in capture fisheries, issues of human trafficking and human rights violations, particularly among migrant workers in developing nations, have been documented on fishing vessels and must end. In aquaculture, workers are exposed to a multitude of potential occupational hazards as well. SOLUTIONS: A. In terms of worker safety, all states should ratify ILO Convention No. 188 as minimum requirements for fishers. Adopt technological tools that allow workers to report their working conditions onboard at any given moment. B. Catch share management systems must start with community-based needs and design in order to ensure protections of small-scale fishers, address other community needs and protect against excess consolidation into large fishing conglomerates. Animal welfare interventions should also stem from culturally-based needs and designs. C. Elimination of harmful fishing subsidies (e.g. fuel subsidies, financial support for industrial fishing fleets) that encourage overfishing, IUU fishing, and highly destructive practices to the ecosystem, such as bottom trawling. Promote subsidies that support sustainable fishing practices (e.g. supplemental payment to artisanal fishers during slow seasons, sustainable fisheries management programs, and local fisheries research and development.) CONCLUSION As consumer demand is expected to rise for seafood in the coming years, further strain from overfishing, climate change and unsustainable production methods will be placed on our fragile ecosystems and harm the people and animals that rely on them most. These recommendations offer a robust framework for implementing meaningful welfare interventions that allow for aquatic animals to have a life worth living, and in the context of global development, provide adaptive measures for aquaculture and fisheries to help achieve global Sustainable Development Goals. About Christine Xu Christine leads ALI's efforts in advocating for improved animal welfare standards in capture fisheries with international institutions and the private sector. She has extensive experience in international ocean conservation, having worked with major NGOs in Washington, DC. About Sophika Kostyniuk Sophika leads with 20 years' experience in the ocean conservation and sustainable seafood sectors. She has driven change through global supply chains by creating deep partnerships with diverse networks of actors, and engineered practical, actionable solutions for businesses including Walmart, Target, Zara, and governments in the UK, Canada, and the UN.
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