The Seafood Ethics Common Language Group | Seafish
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The Seafood Ethics Common Language Group

A group which brings people together to find out more about ethical sourcing and issues concerning labour and worker welfare.



The Seafood Ethics Common Language Group (SECLG) provides a safe meeting space to discuss the key ethical issues faced by the international seafood industry. The group looks at social welfare issues that affect the UK seafood supply chain, whether in the UK or seafood imported into the UK. This covers human trafficking, labour abuses, child labour, debt bondage, forced labour, migrant workers, and modern slavery. It is an opportunity to share new ideas or best practice case studies from around the world.

The group is led by our industry and we take responsibility for running the SECLG. The Group has met twice a year since 2014. The SECLG brings together seafood industry representatives from major supermarket chains, smaller retailers, processors, foodservice and the catching sector.  Other people who attend are not-for-profit voluntary groups, welfare charities, consumer groups, government and social research scientists.

There are generally two meetings a year. The presentations and minutes from the most recent meetings are below. Presentations and minutes from previous meetings are available upon request by emailing issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk.

We are running a mix of in person meetings and shorter online bite-size SECLG sessions at the moment.

Next meeting

There are generally three meetings each year, two online and one in person. Presentations and minutes from previous meetings are available upon request by emailing: issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk.

Next meetings:

  • Wednesday 4th June, AM online
  • Wednesday 10th September, in-person
  • Thursday 29th January 2026, AM online.

Previous meetings

SECLG in person meeting. Social indicators - SECLG ten years on (10 July 2024). SECLG first met in July 2014, and since then has provided a forum to bring together seafood stakeholders to look at human rights issues in seafood supply chains, explore shared collective solutions and collaborate. This meeting looked at what has happened in the last ten years, and looked ahead at the new Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) and what this will mean going forward.

  • Setting the scene. Andy Hickman, Sainsburys

Different perspectives

  • Investigating and combating IUU fishing. Kaleem Luthra, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
  • Social Indicators - SECLG Ten years On ITF Perspective. Chris Williams, International Transport and Workers Federation (ITF).
  • SECLG: 10 years on. Katharine Bryant, Walk Free/Global Slavery Index.
  • Worker Voice in Seafood: Accessing Data, Trends and Key Worker Concerns. Mia Tucker, Issara Institute. 

The legislative framework – what is coming, and what this could mean

  • Understanding the CS3D: Implications for the seafood industry. Ana Maria Uribe and Rebecca Damm, Human Level
  • Human rights, social equity and sustainability in seafood 10 years on: Where do we go from here? Birgitte Krogh-Poulsen, Independent Social Development Consultant
  • The role of certification – How standards have evolved over the last ten years? What next? Are they a tool or a solution? Clare Stevens, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). Dan Lee, Global Seafood Alliance. Libby Woodhatch, MarinTrust. Alexandre Garcia-Devis Flores, Global G.A.P. David Hammond, Human Rights at Sea International.

How the seafood supply chain is addressing emerging issues and challenges (5 March 2024). There are complex issues and concerns about labour and human rights issues, across many countries and a wide range of products. This challenges the reputation of the seafood sector and is too big and too complex an issue for any individual company or organisation to tackle on its own. This meeting will be an opportunity to look at some of the initiatives that have been developed, or are developing now, to address these issues. Please look at the presentations:

  • Worker Voice and Partnership: A model for worker-centred due diligence and remediation of labour Issues in the Thai seafood industry. Mia Tucker, Issara Institute
  • Addressing issues in the UK catching sector - Europe’s first Worker-Driven Social Responsibility initiative launches pilot to fight the exploitation of workers at sea. Lucila Granada, FLEX and Mike Park, SWFPA.
  • Collaborating to understand and address emerging issues in the supply chain. Georgia Worrall, Seafood Ethics Action Alliance.

Notes and minutes from recent SECLG bite-size and in person meetings are available upon request by emailing issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk.

  • The role of social audits. 12 October 2023
  • Driving improvements in human rights and labour standards (in person). 5 July 2023
  • Aquaculture and human rights. 1 February 2023 
  • Driving improvement through effective implementation of ILO 188. (In person) 5 July 2022

SECLG newsletters

We send regularly emails with a round up of stories, research and projects in the seafood industry. Subscribe to receive our updates and meeting details.

Terms of Reference and archive

Our social responsibility work

Contacts

For further information, please contact: issuesgroups@seafish.co.uk.

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