Race to the Top: Ecuador Leads the Way Towards Sustainable and Responsible Aquaculture
On Tuesday, October 22, during AquaExpo Guayaquil, the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) hosted the inaugural edition of the new sustainability forum, Race to the Top. With over 300 participants, the event, held at the Guayaquil Convention Center, brought together global leaders and key executives from Ecuador to discuss how the country’s shrimp industry has become a global benchmark for sustainability.
Over the course of four sections focused on governance, environmental responsibility, economic sustainability, and social responsibility, Race to the Top featured 15 presentations in the form of talks, panels, and success stories from Ecuador’s shrimp industry. The forum brought together 35 nationally and internationally renowned speakers. Leaders from various sectors—including academia, agriculture, finance, and aquaculture—participated, all united by a common goal: sustainability.
During the event, the director of the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), Pamela Nath, stated: “Excellence is not a destination but an ongoing race. In Ecuador’s shrimp sector, we live that race every day because we know that being leaders in volume or quality is not enough—we must keep improving, innovating, and constantly surpassing ourselves. At SSP, we aim to raise standards and lead by example, inspiring others to join our efforts. This forum serves as an analogy for the journey we call Race to the Top, shaped by the commitment, discipline, and strategy of our producers. This is the message we want to convey to industry stakeholders and representatives from other sectors joining us today.”
The executive president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), José Antonio Camposano, emphasized: “Ecuador has established itself as a global benchmark in the shrimp industry thanks to its commitment to innovation and sustainability, proving that it is possible to lead responsibly. In this race to the top, it becomes clear that collaboration among the various players in the value chain—ranging from companies, international organizations, and banks to environmental groups—is essential to advancing toward a more responsible, balanced, and efficient future for industries, people, and the planet.”
Among the speakers were representatives from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), BASF, BioMar, Biolan, Conservation International (CI), Cofimar, Corporación Lanec, DSM-Firmenich, Earthworm Foundation, Edpacif, FMO, Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI), GPS Group, Grupo Almar, Grupo Ekos, Houdek, Inve Aquaculture, MSD Animal Health, Nicovita, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Omarsa, Skretting, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), among others.
About SSP
The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) is a group of leading companies committed to transforming the future of shrimp aquaculture. As pioneers in Ecuador, SSP members strive to generate and promote the highest quality products, produced under the strictest social and environmental standards, through increased collaboration and transparency.
About CNA
The National Chamber of Aquaculture is a non-governmental organization that has represented Ecuador’s shrimp industry for more than 30 years. One of its objectives is to promote knowledge exchange and foster innovation through its AQUAEXPO program, a technical-commercial event that has been held since 1995 in various provinces dedicated to shrimp production.
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