Launched last week at the Guayaquil Convention Centre, Race to the Top – a new forum aiming to foster responsible shrimp farming – brought together global leaders and key industry stakeholders to discuss the progress made so far by the country’s shrimp industry, and how this can be further improved.

The forum hosted an array of engaging talks, panels, and presentations, each falling into one of four categories: governance, environmental impact, economic sustainability, and social responsibility. Among the speakers were experts from academia, aquaculture, and finance, as well as representatives from industry organisations such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership.

“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,” said Pamela Nath, director of the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership, in a press release.

“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,” she concluded.