Our partner Román Gil participated today in Madrid in the presentation of the study “What Do We Know About What We Eat from the Sea?”, prepared by OPAGAC (Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels).
The report reveals that almost three out of four Spaniards rate their knowledge of responsible fishing as low or medium, highlighting the need to strengthen information and transparency throughout the fisheries value chain.
The event also marked the launch of the international initiative Hands for the Oceans, promoted by OPAGAC with the aim of advancing responsible fishing from a triple perspective—social, environmental and economic—emphasising that sustainability cannot be achieved without effective respect for labour rights at sea.
Román Gil, partner at Sagardoy and specialist in social rights, took part in the roundtable entitled “Labour rights and transparency in fisheries: challenges for a fair value chain”, which addressed the main social and legal challenges facing the global fishing sector.
He was joined in the discussion by Àngels Segura, Head of the Seafood Sector at AECOC; Jesús Urios Culiáñez, Ocean Policy Officer at Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF); María Segura de la Monja, Head of Food Safety and Environment at ANGED; and María Martínez-Herrera, Director of Food and Consumer Affairs at ASIDAS. The session was moderated by Julio Morón, Director General of OPAGAC.
During his intervention, Román Gil highlighted the legal complexity of work at sea, shaped by the coexistence of different flags, nationalities and jurisdictions, and recalled that ILO Convention No. 188 constitutes the minimum standard of protection, stressing the need to move towards effective international agreements that ensure its real enforcement.
The roundtable underscored that sustainability cannot be understood solely from an environmental perspective, but must inseparably incorporate respect for labour rights, stronger oversight mechanisms and greater transparency across the entire value chain.
Through his participation in this forum, Román Gil reinforces ERB’s commitment to the defence of social and labour rights in strategic sectors such as fisheries, where the protection of people is essential to building a truly responsible and sustainable activity.
