Attending the Latin American Sustainable Seafood Summit: A Twin Movement I Encountered in Merida, Mexico

At the Merida International Convention Center, where over 600 participants gathered...

Food journalist and representative director of the general incorporated association Chefs for the Blue, Ms. Sasaki, wrote a report on the "Latin America Sustainable Seafood Summit" held in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. We shared episodes that couldn't be included in this column at the Seafood Legacy Times Meet Up event held on April 16th (now completed).

I participated in the Latin America Sustainable Seafood Summit, held in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, for three days from December 3rd to 5th, 2025. I was greatly inspired by the enthusiasm that permeated the venue throughout the event and the forward-thinking nature of the discussions that took place there.

The organizers of this summit are COMEPESCA (Mexico)Fisheries and Aquaculture Promotion Council). Founded in 2003 by approximately 40 corporate members, including fishermen, aquaculture operators, distributors, and fisheries consulting firms, with the aim of promoting domestic consumption of Mexican seafood, it is a fisheries-based NGO. According to the organization's chairperson, biologist and trout farmer, Citralli Gómez Lepe, the organization initially focused on increasing the value and expanding the market for domestically produced seafood, but after she became the organization's representative in 2017, it shifted to a larger focus.turning pointThey say it has arrived.

The woman next to the author (right) is Ms. Repe, together with Seafood Legacy CEO Hanaoka (left).

When Mr. Repe took over the management of COMEPESCA, he believed that improving the sustainability of the fisheries industry was essential to supporting the industry's future, and he started an initiative aimed at incorporating "sustainability" into the criteria consumers use when choosing fish. The campaign that was launched was "#PescaConFuturo (Fisheries for the Future)." This campaign, which aims to change the seafood sourcing in the food and beverage industry, has spread rapidly and has grown into a major movement with approximately 250 ambassador chefs throughout Mexico. Led by chefs,Seafood WatchThey source domestically produced sustainable seafood according to these guidelines and communicate the future of the ocean through their cuisine. They are directly delivering the message to the market and consumers that how we choose our seafood will determine the future of our country's oceans.

Having launched Chefs for the Blue in 2017 with the goal of protecting Japan's seas and food culture, and continuing to work with approximately 200 chefs, including members in our online community, I was simply amazed to learn about #PescaConFuturo. We were founded in the same year, share the same sense of urgency, and are a team of chefs with the same aspiration to "change the sea." We are like twins, facing each other across the vast Pacific Ocean. I felt a strong sense of destiny when I was invited by Mr. Lepe and COMEPESCA to speak at this summit.

Mr. Repe giving a presentation about COMEPESCA

A logo designed with the idea that fish will continue into the future.

Now, at the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Repe, who is also an aquaculture business owner, took to the stage to give his opening remarks, and his message was as follows:

"We are now at a point where the entire fishing industry system needs to be transformed. We must take action ourselves and find solutions to create sustainable oceans. To achieve this, collaboration with many stakeholders is essential."

The Latin America Sustainable Seafood Summit, which started in 2019, held its fifth event last December. Over 600 participants gathered from 17 countries, mainly in Central and South America, including Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil. The venue was filled with the Governor of Yucatan, government agencies, research institutions, fisheries organizations, financial institutions, distributors, civil society groups, media, and numerous chefs. More than 150 speakers from various fields took the stage, embodying the diversity of society connected to fisheries and the aquaculture industry, and ultimately, the network of people who can achieve what Mr. Repe calls "collaboration."

The 20 panel sessions, centered on social justice, traceability, and climate change adaptation, featured a wide range of themes connecting practical applications with the future, such as "Implementing Digital Traceability in the Fisheries Market," "Investment Projects in Sustainable Fisheries," and "The Climate Crisis and Decarbonizing Value Chains." A panel titled "What Can We Learn from Sustainability Movements Outside the Fisheries Sector," which brought together media outlets targeting high-income groups, influencers from various fields, and radio personalities, also attracted many participants. What was impressive was that the discussions in each panel went beyond abstract theories and delved into concrete methodologies, improvement measures, and investment schemes.

The speakers included eco-bloggers, radio personalities, philanthropy foundations for social contribution, and luxury media.

The following opinions were raised during a panel discussion featuring 10 chefs on the theme of "New Possibilities for Seafood as Told by Chefs":

"It's important to know where the seafood comes from and who caught it. That's a chef's responsibility."

"Fish are wild animals. You have to understand that specifying a size when sourcing them is difficult."

"Chefs consciously eating and using Mexican fish will support the country's fishing industry."

"If staff and guests don't share the same approach to sustainability as you do, you have to keep communicating with them without giving up, or things won't change."

In fact, these are all things I hear every day from the chefs of Chefs for the Blue. This session reaffirmed for me that the aspirations of dedicated chefs are the same even across the Pacific Ocean.

From chefs in charge of kitchens in large hotels to owner-chefs of individual restaurants, they came together from all over Mexico.
The ambassador chefs for #PescaConFuturo.

While international conferences on the ocean are held annually in various locations, many of these conferences are organized by environmental NGOs, international organizations, government agencies, and the media. In contrast, the Latin America Sustainable Seafood Summit is organized by a fisheries-based NGO and is an international conference primarily for fishermen to promote ocean sustainability. Approximately half of the participants are fishermen or aquaculture operators. Perhaps this is why, in Mexico's fisheries industry, the understanding that protecting the ocean is not only for the environment but also "to connect the industry to the future" has naturally taken root. This is surely largely due to the influence of COMEPESCA, which has been leading the #PescaConFuturo movement and continuously delivering its message to society.

Mexico is a country where small-scale coastal fishermen make up the vast majority of the population, and its structure is surprisingly similar to that of Japan. How can small-scale fishermen, not just corporations under large capital, transition to sustainable fishing and management? How can they involve the market, finance, policy, and consumers, and how can traceability be guaranteed? I felt that this is where the common challenges and futures of both Japan and Mexico lie.

Chefs for the Blue plans to deepen its collaboration with COMEPESCA, sharing various information as it goes along, and continuing to learn and practice for the future of Japan's oceans. We believe that when these two movements, which began like twins, truly resonate across the Pacific Ocean, we will see a new future for the seas.

The panel I participated in consisted mainly of food media professionals such as food editors and journalists. This photo was taken after my presentation.

Hiroko Sasaki
Food journalist/CEO of Chefs for the Blue
A journalist who covers and writes about gastronomy and food sustainability both domestically and internationally. Leveraging her extensive network, she also engages in social design activities aimed at solving social issues related to food. In 2017, faced with the critical state of Japan's oceans, she launched Chefs for the Blue, starting awareness campaigns with top chefs to protect Japan's marine resources and connect food culture to the future. She has previously served as a special committee member of the Fisheries Policy Council of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and as a selection committee member for the Ministry's "Goodwill Ambassador for the Promotion of Japanese Food."

Thoughts from Merida, Mexico to Japan
Seafood Legacy CEO Kazuo Hanaoka's Mexico Report

See other articles by Hiroko Sasaki here
I want to connect the Japanese food culture. I learn together with chefs and continue on the path I believe in.
The 3rd installment: Connecting Food Culture to the Future - Considering the Future of Fisheries Resource Management in Japan