• Active: 2014-2016  
• Funder: Vulcan
• Program Area: Oceans 

 
Unsustainable fishing practices threaten the health and integrity of global marine ecosystems. At the same time, the seafood supply chain does not provide a way to trace fish as it travels from where it’s caught to the consumer’s plate. 

To change that, we first partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Its Seafood Watch program provides a reference guide that gives consumers useful information on various fish species they can use when buying at the retail level. 

But additional work was also needed when it came to restaurants, so we teamed with Smart Catch, a Seattle-based pilot project designed by chefs, for chefs. Its goal is to increase the amount of sustainable seafood being served on restaurant menus. It provides chefs with the resources and training needed to make smart seafood purchasing decisions — which has a positive impact on the seafood supply chain. By agreeing to specific criteria, including improving the percentage of sustainable seafood served (as validated through supplier invoices), participating chefs can market themselves as Smart Catch restaurants. Now, by supporting a Smart Catch chef, consumers can fuel positive changes in our oceans and improve food security.  
 
The program was an immediate success. During its first year of operation, 83 Seattle restaurants signed on as Smart Catch providers (that equated to 200,000 pounds of sustainable seafood sold every week) and each one of them met or exceeded their goal of providing 80% of seafood from sustainable sources. 

To scale this successful pilot to the national level, the program was transitioned to the James Beard Foundation as part of its Chef Action Network in 2017. Today more than 300 restaurants in 28 states and 13 leading seafood suppliers are part of Smart Catch, furthering our original goal of creating more informed consumers and encouraging sustainable fishing practices. 
 
Partners: Fish Choice, Flip Labs, James Beard Foundation 
 

• Active: 2016-2019 
• Funder: PGAFF  
• Program Area: Oceans 

 
The shark fin trade is decimating some of the ocean’s most iconic species. Overfishing, fueled by high demand for shark fins, meat and other products, is pushing these animals to the brink of extinction. And it’s happening despite international protections that limit the trade of the most threatened species. 

Shark fins can be difficult to identify visually; many pass-through ports entirely undetected and uninspected. To combat this, PGAFF partnered with leading scientists to develop a DNA testing system aptly named the DNA Toolkit. This innovative technology uses a shark’s DNA to essentially create a barcode for each species. The resulting quick, reliable, and cost-effective tool gives customs authorities around the world two crucial enforcement tools they’ve never had before — the ability to identify illegal species on-site and the evidence needed to prosecute the crime.

This revolutionary technology is already paying off where it’s being used in airports and shipping ports. For example, in May 2020, Hong Kong officials intercepted shipping containers from Ecuador carrying 26 tons of dried fins from an estimated 38,500 threatened and protected silky and thresher sharks. This record-setting seizure prompted Ecuador to hire new inspection officers, ban the trade of more shark species, and invest in several new shark conservation projects.

While the DNA Toolkit was initially developed to stop the illegal shark trade, its capabilities have since expanded. The technology has also helped stop the illegal shipment of critically endangered European eels and is currently being adapted to help end the trade of exotic pets.

Partners: Bloom Association-Hong Kong, Florida International University, Stony Brook University