Aquatic Life Institute

📣 Big news! Aquatic Life Institute has been selected as a 2024 recommended charity by Animal Charity Evaluators!🐟 We’re honored to receive this distinction, which underscores our commitment to advancing aquatic animal welfare in the global seafood system. Since 2019, our team has been working tirelessly to reshape how aquatic animals are perceived and protected. A huge thank you to our supporters – with your help, we’re making an impact! 🌍💙 ACE REVIEW: https://lnkd.in/eJ23McNH BLOG: https://lnkd.in/eQMv3sDW

Happy Holidays from the team at Aquatic Life Institute! Wishing everyone a joyful, healthy, and restful holiday season! Our dedicated team is taking a well-deserved break this week after a year of hard work and big wins for aquatic animals. 🐟 ⭐Just a few of our key highlights from 2024⭐ 🐙 Two state-wide bans on octopus farming passed in the U.S., with several other bills introduced to protect octopuses ✅ Global seafood certifiers committed to raising welfare standards for aquatic animals, setting a higher bar for industry practices 🦀 Leading companies, Tesco and Hilton Foods, adopted comprehensive crustacean welfare policies 🌊 The Aquatic Animal Alliance grew to over 150 members, amplifying our collective impact as a powerful global coalition We’ll be back soon, recharged and ready to dive into our 2025 goals! See you next year! ✨ Interested in donating through our end-of-year Giving Season campaign? Learn more here: https://buff.ly/3CMCti8

🚀 We’re Hiring! We're thrilled to share another open position at Aquatic Life Institute (ALI)! ALI is on the lookout for a Head of Corporate Engagement - a strategic leader who will drive meaningful change in corporate supply chains. 💼 What You’ll Do: ✅ Develop and execute strategies to engage major corporations and retailers ✅ Build strong networks and partnerships ✅ Drive measurable impact through collaboration and data-driven advocacy 💡 Who You Are: A persuasive leader with experience in corporate engagement, a deep understanding of the seafood supply chain, and a passion for animal welfare. Does this role sound like it could be a perfect fit for you? 📍 Learn more & apply here: https://lnkd.in/edMXy8rp 🕒 Apply by January 12, 2025 🌐 We’re also hiring a Seafood Certification Specialist! Check out all of our open positions at ali.fish/careers

This is a wonderful opportunity to help develop a best practice #seafood traceability tool to digitally and consistently collect animal welfare data in both aquaculture and fisheries! We are proud to be leading this collaborative initiative. #seafood #seafoodtraceability #aquaticanimalwelfare

Aquatic Life Institute and 140 members of the Aquatic Animal Alliance (AAA) sent a letter to the European Investment Bank (EIB), raising concerns about their €35M funding for Oceanloop Management GMBH’s large-scale shrimp farming project in the Canary Islands, Spain. 🦐 In the letter, we urge EIB to: ❗Require disclosure of all industrial animal agriculture projects, including shrimp farming, before approval to allow for public consultation. ❗Classify all industrial animal agriculture projects as high risk due to their biodiversity, climate, social, and animal welfare impacts. ❗Mandate clear plans for minimizing environmental impact and supporting animal welfare, covering environmental enrichment, mortality management, and humane stunning/slaughter practices. We thank Aquatic Animal Alliance member, Sinergia Animal, for bringing this important issue to our attention and for providing the context for this action, and to all of our other partners who supported this feedback. Read the letter, here:  https://lnkd.in/ep49-9Na 

🐟We're Hiring: Seafood Certification Specialist!🐟 Interested in aquatic animal welfare? Ready to make an impact in the seafood industry? Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) is looking for a Seafood Certification Specialist to lead change through research, advocacy, and partnerships with certification bodies. 📍 Remote (Eastern Time Zone compatibility required) 🕒 36 hours/week 📩 Apply by January 5, 2025 ❓About the Role As a Seafood Certification Specialist, you’ll support the development and execution of our annual Seafood Certification Benchmark, track welfare standards, and engage certification bodies to raise aquatic animal welfare standards. What We’re Looking For ✅ Knowledge or interest in aquatic animal welfare, certification standards, or sustainable sourcing ✅ Research, analysis, and project management skills ✅ Strong communicator and collaborator 💥 Why Join Us? Work with a mission-driven, fully remote team making a real impact for aquatic animals worldwide. 🌍 Learn more about the role and where to apply, here: https://lnkd.in/egvzs6JX

Major progress in the global campaign to #BanOctopusFarming in 2024! 🐙✨ Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) has just released our 2024 progress report on the Octopus Farming Ban Campaign. We’re proud to have been a driving force behind the landmark victories of 2024, paving the way for lasting change. https://lnkd.in/eKRAApXr. Key Highlights: 🏛️ Washington & California: First and second-ever state bans on #OctopusFarming - ALI played a key role in advocacy, testimony, and support. ✅ Seafood Certifiers: 4 major certifiers, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), RSPCA Assured­, Friend of the Sea and Soil Association, declare they do not plan to certify octopus farms in the near future. 🇺🇸 Federal Action: A bipartisan U.S. bill to ban farming & imports is in motion. 🚫 Corporate Pressure: Plans for Nueva Pescanova’s farm are stalled. 🌍 Global Reach: 30+ media features, industry conferences, and advocacy events spread awareness. Shoutout to our incredible partners - Animal Rights Initiative, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Social Compassion in Legislation, Pasado's Safe Haven, Mercy For Animals, AnimaNaturalis Internacional, Fundación Veg, and many more who made 2024 a landmark year for #octopuses! Together, we’re driving historic progress toward a future free from #OctopusFarming. 🐙💙 Consider donating to help us continue to protect #AquaticAnimals in the global seafood system! https://lnkd.in/e3AuajnZ

We’re excited to share that Vox has spotlighted our work in their article, “Want to help animals? Here’s where to donate your money.” 🐟💙 The piece highlights this year's Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) recommended charities - and we’re honored to be one of them! Being recognized as an ACE recommended charity reflects both our noteworthy impact so far and the bold goals we have for the years ahead. “Aquatic Life Institute was formed in 2019, making it one of the first animal protection groups focused on advocating for wild-caught and farmed fish and crustaceans.” And right now is the perfect time to support our work!💥 Our Giving Season Campaign is in full swing, and every donation is MATCHED up to $15K! Help us continue to protect the trillions of #AquaticAnimals that are caught and farmed in the global seafood system each year. 💙 https://lnkd.in/e3AuajnZ https://lnkd.in/gVQt24u3

Thank you to everyone who joined us today at the Aquatic Animal Advocacy session at the Animal & Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit in São Paulo! Aquatic Life Institute's Corporate Engagement Lead, Cecilia Valenza, presented alongside Nathalie Gil of Sea Shepherd Brasil and Patrycia Sato of Alianima, member organizations of the Aquatic Animal Alliance. Another thank you to Sueda Evirgen of Animetrics for moderating the session. 🐟 Keep a look out for the recording of this session on AVA's YouTube channel!

🌊 Online Speed Moot Court on Aquatic Animal Rights | 15 March 2025 ⚖️ 🧑⚖️ On 15 March 2025, participants in ICARE’s Contemporary Issues in Animal Rights Law (CIARL) online course will participate in a Speed Moot Court on Aquatic Animal Rights. This practical session will be facilitated by Amy P Wilson and Hira Jaleel, two distinguished leaders in Aquatic Animal Law. 🐙 🐋 Amy P Wilson, co-founder and Acting Executive Director of Animal Law Reform South Africa, is a South African attorney, doctoral candidate and lecturer at the University of Johannesburg and a senior adjunct lecturer at the University of the Western Cape, specialising in Animal Law and the Rights of Nature. A visiting instructor at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Amy has extensive research and teaching experience, particularly in Aquatic Animal Law, and is co-authoring a book on the topic. 📖 🐟 Hira Jaleel, Visiting Assistant Professor at the Center for Animal Law Studies (CALS), is a leading advocate for Aquatic Animal Law, teaching a course on this often-overlooked area of law and co-teaching a course on food law. She has co-authored multiple publications focusing on South Asia, and her advocacy and litigation efforts have led to reforms in Pakistan. Hira notably serves on the board of the Aquatic Life Institute. 🌐 This session offers participants the chance to: ✅ Gain practical advocacy skills in the emerging field of Aquatic Animal Rights. ✅ Learn to litigate and argue cases effectively for vulnerable aquatic animals. ✅ Understand the legal challenges and strategies for advancing protections for aquatic animals. 📚 Few spots remaining! Register for the CIARL course to participate in this unique session to hone your litigation skills, attend live lectures in Animal Rights Law, engage in practical assignments, and earn a certificate of completion: https://buff.ly/48s9ax8 🪼 #AnimalRightsLaw #AnimalLaw #AquaticAnimalLaw #AquaticAnimalRights #AquaticAnimals #AnimalRights #AnimalAdvocacy #AnimalAdvocates #AnimalLawEducation #LegalEducation #AnimalLawyers #AnimalRightsJurisprudence #LegalArgumentation #OralArgumentation #OralAdvocacy #GlobalAnimalLaw #InternationalAnimalLaw #CIARLCourse #SpeetMootCourt #OnlineSpeedMoot #MockTrial #LegalPersonhood #SentientBeings #AnimalWelfare #ICARE