The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) was initiated in November 2004 in order to inform and educate all participants in the seafood trade, from wholesalers to restaurateurs through to seafood lovers. The initiative builds on an earlier project started in the KwaZulu-Natal Province which sought to educate restaurant dealers about the Marine Living Resources Act and other marine conservation issues.
SASSI has three primary objectives:
- Promote voluntary compliance of the law through education and awareness
- Shift consumer demand away from over-exploited species to more sustainable options
- Create awareness around marine conservation issues