- Sustainable seafood
- Co-operative retailers
- Supply chain actors
- Alternative food networks
- Voluntary sustainability standards
Abigayil Blandon is looking for alternative ways to incentivise sustainable seafood through the supply chain, by looking at small-scale relational approaches in comparison to the typical certification schemes.
Blandon’s PhD project maps different theories of change that aim to improve seafood sustainability. In particular, she is interested in voluntary approaches to seafood sustainability. Having previously investigated the effectiveness and motivations behind fishers applying for eco-certification schemes, she is now researching alternative ways to incentivise sustainability. These include small-scale initiatives such as community supported fisheries and relational seafood supply chains. Blandon uses Japan as a case study country where she explores meanings of sustainability and examples of seafood sustainability initiatives.
Blandon has a broad range of marine science and conservation experience prior to starting her PhD. Following her Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, Blandon worked for SEED Madagascar before joining the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (UK) where she provided scientific advice to the UK government on marine habitat conservation and the implementation of EU Directives. She completed her MSc at the Stockholm Resilience Centre where her thesis focussed on the design of fisheries development projects in Eastern Africa.
Blandon returned to the Stockholm Resilience Centre after working for WWF-UK, where she led the seafood work within the WWF-Tesco Partnership. She has previously contributed to academia through work with the SeaBOS project, the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, the Pew Charitable Trusts and with the University of Tokyo.
Recently Blandon has been engaged in a number of networks and conferences, including the Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation, the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation (PICES), the 2nd Marine Socio-Ecological Systems Symposium (MSEAS) and the Nordic Seafood Summit. She has also supported designing principles for sustainable gastronomy which have been used by practitioners such as Seafood Gastro, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Stockholm.
Awards and achievements
- Outstanding Oral Presentation award as an Early Career Ocean Professional at the Marine Socio-Ecological Systems Symposium 2024
- Guest speaker at the 2023 Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation Annual Meeting
- Awarded a mobility grant for a 2 week visit to the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund University in Nov 2023
Key publications
Blandon A, Jonell M, Ishihara H & Zabala A 2025. “What does “sustainable seafood” mean to seafood system actors in Japan and Sweden?” Ambio 54, 1010–1025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-024-02122-4
Jonell M, Blandon A, Feine J M R & Käll S, 2025. ” Broadening the sustainable seafood movement — systemic and enabling approaches to transform blue food” Environmental Research Food Systems https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/adfd62
Blandon A & Ishihara H, 2021. “Seafood certification schemes in Japan: Examples of challenges and opportunities from three Marine Stewardship Councils (MSC) applicants” Marine Policy 123: 104279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104279
Matsubara H, Blandon A, Tomita M, Batten S, Chiba S, Fujii T, Hasegawa D, Kraan M, Lipton D, Little LR, Rodriguez Buelna AS & Makino M, 2025. “Shaping the future of marine socio-ecological systems science: combining interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches and knowledge co-creation with diverse stakeholders” ICES Journal of Marine Science 82, 5 https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsaf059
Kageyama S, Blandon A & Blasiak R, 2025. “Exploring the diverse values local people associate with marine protected areas and the implications for sustainable ocean management.” Ocean & Coastal Management 261, p.107523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107523
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