Mark Zimring

Thai Union Commits to 100% Transparency in its International Tuna Supply Chain by 2025

TNC announced a partnership with Thai Union — one of the world’s largest seafood companies — to raise the standard of tuna transparency worldwide, aiming to implement on-the-water monitoring across the company’s vast supply chain by 2025. The new initiative will entail deploying electronic monitoring or employing human observers on all partner vessels. Learn more through a Q&A about the collaboration with Mark Zimring (TNC) and Darian McBain (Thai Union).

TNC’S Electronic Monitoring Work Highlighted in French Publication

Mark Zimring, Director of Large Scale Fisheries Program, contributed a case study (found on page 12) to Agence Française de Développemente on how electronic monitoring can protect tuna stocks. The article highlights the roles the private sector can play in conservation and how they are implementing initiatives to protect and restore ecosystems.

Barron’s/Penta Magazine: Protecting the World’s Oceans

“Mark Zimring, director of TNC’s Large Scale Fisheries Program, doesn’t believe the ecotourism model is broken. But the current crisis raises issues for the global community ‘around how to increase resilience of the ecotourism model itself,’ Zimring says. The organization is among those exploring innovative ways of creating this resilience, including financial products as well as government aid. ‘These are many small island developing states that can’t afford for us to get it wrong,’ Zimring says. ‘We need to be more serious than in the past about showing up as real partners.’”

The Economist: Illegal Fishing Fleets Plunder the Oceans 

“The world is gradually waking up to the problem of dark fleets operating under cover of night or beyond the arm of the law. However, Mark Zimring of The Nature Conservancy, says that most illegal fishing takes place on licensed fleets. Mr Zimring says the next move is to bring electronic monitoring onto vessels themselves. The Nature Conservancy says it is working with casino-security experts to improve the algorithms. Mr. Zimring notes that these monitoring systems do not sleep or get sick, and cannot be bribed or knocked on the head.”

Bloomberg: How Fish-Recognition Tech Is Assisting Demand for Canned Tuna

“Commercial fishing fleets are facing a jump in demand for canned tuna, but the coronavirus outbreak has prevented industry watchdogs and environmental groups from sending people onto boats to monitor whether the catches are sustainable. Instead, some vessels are installing video cameras, sensors and systems that use algorithms to detect different types of fish and marine life, similar to the way Facebook Inc identifies people tagged in photos, said Mark Zimring, large scale fisheries program director at The Nature Conservancy.”

Great Big Story: Sea Change 

Vacationland partnered with Great Big Story and The Nature Conservancy to create a series of films about the critical need to develop a sustainable seafood supply in the long line Tuna fishing industry in Palau.

Catalyzing the Growth of Electronic Monitoring in Fisheries

In 2018, The Nature Conservancy and CEA Consulting released the report, “Catalyzing the Growth of Electronic Monitoring in Fisheries.” This progress update report revisits the original recommendations, assesses the progress and new innovations that have been made, identifies key remaining barriers, and updates the investment blueprint based on what has changed or been learned over the last year and a half.

FoodTank: On World Oceans Day, Mark Zimring and Niaz Dorry Talk About Building Sustainable Fisheries of All Sizes

Mark Zimring focuses on large-scale fisheries at The Nature Conservancy, where he works to monitor and protect fisheries with a specific emphasis on tuna in the Indian and Pacific oceans. He explains how COVID-19 has disrupted fisheries around the world—and how conservation efforts can come back from the pandemic even stronger than before.