SFACT’s Founder, John Burton, has a long history of philanthropic work centred around sustainable and ethical food supply chains, and has recognised that many of the Coastal States in the Indian Ocean are suffering as a result of overexploitation of fish stocks by distant water fleets. There is a lack of transparency in the industrial fishing sector, and this lack of transparency has paved the way for multiple issues to arise in this region, such as destructive fishing techniques with high bycatch and ghost fishing rates, human rights abuses including modern-day slavery, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing).
The World Bank states that many developing coastal communities are heavily reliant on marine resources for their livelihoods and food security, and yet large distant water fleets that engage in unsustainable practices are dominating the decision-making surrounding catch allocation and market access. Coastal communities are also less able to make progress towards global sustainable goals such as the UN’s SDGs, due to minimal financial freedom and little access to technological advancements and innovation.
SFACT’s principal goals are to advocate for these communities, to ensure their voice is heard in the conversations that determine their future, and thus protect the ecosystem and natural resources in the process.
SFACT is led by four Trustees, John, Louise, Momo and Editrudith, who between them have more than 60 years of experience engaging with key stakeholders and Coastal States in the Indian Ocean. Their strong relationships with government and ministry officials places them in the perfect position to advocate for these Coastal States and use their vast network and expertise to improve livelihoods.
The Trustees are joined by the rest of the team who bring their statistical and scientific expertise to the table, and work to make SFACT’s ambitions a reality.
Abbie is an Aquaculture and Fisheries specialist with experience working as a Scottish Salmon farmer, certification scheme manager, and in the retail industry. She has developed her skills and expertise across the commercial, ethics and sustainability, and aquaculture standards, all of which have further developed her knowledge of the overall impacts of the seafood industry.
Husein’s role at SFACT is to create and manage internal and external communications, social media content, managing the webpages and supporting organisational events and initiatives.
Beatrice Kinyua has a background in statistics, holding a Masters in Social Statistics from Nairobi University and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Statistics from Moi University. She is passionate about understanding and analysing data, all while reporting it professionally and transparently.
Editrudith, a trained marine biologist who has successfully transitioned into an interdisciplinary social scientist, brings over 20 years of experience employing innovative solutions and sustainable practices for inclusive, natural resources, governance and sustainable food systems, specifically focussing on small-scale fisheries
John Burton is the Chairman of World Wise Foods Ltd, whose principal business is the supply of canned pole and line caught tuna to leading retailers in the UK and around the world. His lifelong passion for equitable pole and line caught tuna has involved him in a number of sustainability initiatives with partner NGOs in the fisheries world, and engagements with governments of developing coastal states.
Maïa Perraudeau is a PhD researcher and consultant in international fisheries law. Maïa is carrying out her PhD at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.
Momo Kochen is a technical fisheries consultant with over 10 years of experience working in small scale fisheries projects globally. Momo developed and oversaw the implementation of the world’s first Fair Trade certified seafood – Indonesian yellowfin tuna.
Santa Mervien Alexandra (Vien) is a fisheries and ocean governance professional with a longstanding background in marine issues spanning science, policy, and international collaboration. Born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, she has lived in Germany for over 17 years, where she completed all of her higher education and developed a career focused on sustainable fisheries and marine policy. Fluent in Indonesian, German, and English, Vien’s multilingual skills allow her to engage with diverse stakeholders across various cultural and geographic contexts. She currently works at the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) in Hamburg, where she supports licensing, quota allocation, and regulatory coordination for German fishing vessels operating in third-country waters and RFMO areas.
We welcome collaboration, so if you’d like to help us achieve our mission, or if you have any questions about our work, please get in touch.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
