If Mother Teresa and Albert Einstein had a baby, they might have named it "Effective Altruism" —a beautiful combination of compassion and intellect that can also be applied to how we raise and catch seafood!
In this episode of The Conch podcast, we chat with Sophika Kostyniuk, the Managing Director of the Aquatic Life Institute, who, guided by the principles of effective altruism, works to reduce the suffering of aquatic animals in the global food system. In both fisheries and aquaculture, there's a lot of work to be done to improve animal welfare and create an ethical, humane industry built on kindness and care.
CW: This episode contains descriptions of aquatic animal death.
Episode Transcript
Episode Guide
- :00 Intro
- 01:21 Started by a hedge fund trader, the Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) seeks to reduce the
- suffering of aquatic animals in the global food system, previously missing from broader animal rights discussions, by focusing on the highest-impact welfare interventions.
- 08:19 The ALI operates according to the principles of effective altruism, a philosophical approach using evidence and careful reasoning to prioritize efforts to do the most good with limited resources.
- 11:55 The ALI is a solutions broker dedicated to improving the lives of aquatic animals.
- 15:02 The ALI created five key welfare pillars for aquaculture based on the Five Freedoms approach.
- 20:44 Aquaculture standards can improve their animal welfare practices and here's how.
- 25:29 Insect farming for aquaculture feed is a no for the ALI.
- 29:21 Animal welfare in wild capture fisheries is a newer, yet critically important, discussion.
- 34:11 Is the ALI advocating that we stop eating fish? (The short answer is no, but we must do better in terms of their welfare in life and ultimate dispatch.)
- 36:14 The octopus is the poster child for sentience. Five key reasons why we shouldn't farm them.
- 41:05 Sophika describes her career path that led her to the ALI and, surprise, it wasn't linear!
- 45:03 Sophika's advice to people thinking about joining the seafood industry: Be bold!
- 47:12 Sophika uplifts someone we all know!
Resources
- Read more about the Aquatic Life Institute's mission and impact at ALI.org.
- Explore the report mentioned in the podcast about best practices for aquatic animal welfare in marine capture fisheries and resources about banning octopus farming.
- Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about the aquatic animal welfare movement.
