AVANT GARDENER
Small fishing communities remain one of the poorest sectors of Philippine society, so I’m always happy to feature enterprises that aim to support their livelihood directly.
Sinaya Seafood may be the industry’s newest player, but the company is backed by more than a decade of experience working with small-scale fishers.
Founder and Chief Executive Mermaid Dhang Tecson is well-known in the social enterprise community for her work, which always has to do with the ocean. Her newest endeavor focuses on bringing fishing communities and partner institutions together to build community and supply the market with fresh, local, seasonal, and sustainably caught seafood.
The company takes its name from Sinaya, the ancient Philippine goddess of the sea and protector of fishermen.
“Sinaya is… a bridge between fisherfolk and shareholders. A channel for sustainable fishing and a trusted name in providing quality seafood,” Miguel Mercado, Sinaya’s marketing head, said.
“We are the center for the richest marine biodiversity. And yet, if I asked you, do you have access to affordable, fresh, and sustainably caught fish, not always… So there’s a lot of space for it.”
The company works with existing small enterprises, either fishing communities or fishery entrepreneurs. This way, they work with groups or individuals already ready to expand their operations. “We’re activating state universities and colleges to work with us to work with fishery entrepreneurs, then we’re about to work with a federation of cooperatives,” Tecson said.
Sinaya will focus on showcasing local species like flying fish, sapsap, and many more, and in the future, use these fish as a launch point to preserve local dishes. Tecson cited an example where she found that one of the communities she works with has a hyperlocal recipe for sinigang na isda using flying fish as protein, cashew nuts as a souring agent, and local basil leaves as fiber. “I want to share this with every Filipino. We don’t appreciate our resources enough.”
The company worked with its fishing and institutional partners to develop products for the mass market. These include frozen (tuna, mahimahi, and lamayo flying fish), dried (danggit, boneless dilis, and sapsap), and ready-to-eat fish, as well as bottled snacks and condiments and seaside products such as bagoong and heirloom salt. They’re also collaborating with Theo + Philo, the first bean-to-bar chocolate brand in the country, on limited edition chocolate and Villa Soccoro Farms, famous for their banana chips, on trail mix.
Sinaya plans to reach institutional clients first to establish consistency in production and demand before moving on to retail. “...we want consistency so they (the fishers) could feel the impact of a steady income,” Tecson explained. “That’s our team’s focus. To help [the fishers] stabilize [their production and income] then later grow the supply so we could make this seafood accessible to everybody.”
They currently work with communities in Occidental Mindoro, Iloilo, and Capiz. “In Mindoro, we can assure [our clients that the fish were caught using] the four sustainable fishing parameters that we have: caught in the right location and season, caught with the right fishing gear, registered fisherfolk, [and that] they co-manage the fishery,” Tecson said. “One of the dreams is to set up traceability for that.”
Sinaya further supports its partners by developing and marketing the products and providing them with fishing gear, coolers, and simple and important yet easily forgettable items such as fishing hats. “We're trying to figure out what other gear they need aside from fishnets,” Tecson said.
It currently takes about seven levels for fish to get from the fishers’ boat to the eater’s table. This is part of why fish are expensive even though fishers earn so little. “Looking at the model right now, by removing the middlemen, [fishers[ could earn 50-70 percent more,” Tecson explained.
Sinaya will be launching a crowdfunding event on Aug. 31. Part of the proceeds will go to finishing their model facility in Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro that they hope will be replicated in other fishing communities. Interested parties can go to Sinaya Seafood’s Facebook Page for details on how to attend.
“The biggest problem in shipping the products, especially fresh, is the permits and taxes because it’s super expensive. It’s more expensive than the fish. That’s one of the things that we’re trying to solve with crowdfunding… So at least it’s not super expensive for the consumer.”
Tecson hopes that Sinaya will also lead to more interest in sustainable fishing. “The last time we went fishing with our fisherfolk, we saw dolphins. I’ve never seen this beautiful sight in the long years that I’ve been working [with fishing communities]. When fisherfolk know how to take care of the marine resources, I think it [can] continuously flourish.”