Safeway's Gibson Dubbed 'Seafood Champion'

Phil Gibson, seafood group director for Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. was named a SeaWeb "Seafood Champion" finalist during the opening session of Seafood Summit 2011, where some 700 attendees from more than 30 countries are gathering this week in Vancouver, Canada.

SeaWeb’s Seafood Champions are nominated annually and recognize individuals and companies for outstanding leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. The award was established to honor those in the seafood industry whose contributions demonstrate a commitment to innovation that leads to change.

Selected from more than 50 nominees, other 2011 Seafood Champion finalists aside from Gibson include:
 
Robert Clark, executive chef, C Restaurant and Harry Kambolis, CEO, Kambolis Group, Vancouver

Dune Lankard, founder & chairman, Eyak Preservation Council, Alaska

Steve Phillips, President and CEO, Phillips Foods and Seafood Restaurant, Maryland

Olivier Roellinger, VP, Relais & Châteaux, Paris, France

Peter Weeden, Chef, Paternoster Chop House, London

Falmouth Fishselling Co., Cornwall, United Kingdom

Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association Olympia, Washington
 
Melanie Siggs, VP of sustainable markets for SeaWeb, commended the finalists for their commitment and leadership. "The annual Seafood Champions represent those who have made significant strides in improving practices and awareness of responsibly produced seafood," said Siggs. "On behalf of those who nominated them and the panel of independent judges, we are delighted to recognize these eight finalists for their significant efforts to ensure responsibility is at the forefront of their activities and businesses. We look forward to presenting the 2011 Seafood Champion Awards at the Boston Seafood Show in March."

During the summit, conservation groups, government officials, scientists and representatives from all sectors of the seafood industry-from retailers and suppliers to chefs and restaurateurs -are discussing urgent issues such as sustainability and food security, traceability of seafood sources, impacts of ocean acidification, aquaculture, fair trade and certification, sustainability in developing nations along with the role of suppliers, chefs and others in the seafood chain. 

Seafood Summit 2011 is made possible with support from principal sponsor High Liner Foods, Inc.; gold sponsor Save-On-Foods; silver sponsors Albion, Fanny Bay Oysters and Taylor Shellfish Farms; and bronze sponsors Skretting, Darden, WWF and Global Fish Alliance. Institutional partners include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Seafood Summit foundation sponsors, meanwhile, include: The David and Lucille Packard Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, the Oak Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Regional field trip partners are Fanny Bay Oyster, Taylor Shellfish, and Commercial Fishermen of America. Other supporters for the Summit include Trace Register, AgriMarine and the Marine Stewardship Council as well as those that provided in-kind support; Ocean Wise and the Vancouver Aquarium, SeaChoice, the Kambolis Restaurant Group and C Restaurant, NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc., Blue Water Café and Raw Bar and Organic Ocean Seafood, and Media Partner IntraFish Media.

By building relationships and stimulating dialogue, Seafood Choices is an international program of SeaWeb – www.seaweb.org  a global nonprofit exclusively dedicated to strategically communicating about ocean conservation issues.