Sustainable seafood news you need to know in 2025

There was a lot of news related to seafood sustainability in 2025. Here, the Seafood Legacy Times editorial team brings you some of the news that caught our attention.

Japan's first corporate environmental and human rights due diligence initiative launched

This year, as in the previous year, progress was seen in human rights due diligence efforts by fisheries-related companies.Fishery product procurement guidelines,Tuna Procurement GuidelinesBoth of these include measures to prevent IUU fishing as well as human rights violations.

Meanwhile, the issue of forced labor on tuna fishing boats continued to be raised. In September, the international human rights NGO Human Rights Now (HRN), in collaboration with the Taiwan-based NGO Taiwan Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (TAHR), released a report on the issue of forced labor on Taiwanese fishing boats. The report revealed that tuna suspected of being used under forced labor was entering the Japanese market via major Taiwanese fishing companies.Read the full report here). As 85% of sashimi-grade tuna exported from Taiwan in 2024 was exported to Japan, there is a strong demand for action from the Japanese government and companies.

There was also a movement towards legislation.A bill requiring companies to conduct environmental and human rights due diligence has been submitted to parliament in South Korea.The bill applies to companies with more than 500 employees or an annual budget of 200 billion won (approximately 21.18 billion yen) or more. The bill requires companies to formulate environmental and human rights policies, conduct human rights assessments, monitor the results, and disclose information. No country in Asia has yet legislated environmental and human rights due diligence, so if passed, this will be the first such initiative in Asia.

In Japan, in OctoberResponsible Seafood Sourcing Roundtable, consisting of seven seafood distribution companiesThis is the first such initiative in Japan, and it will involve collaboration to ensure human rights and environmental due diligence and interoperable traceability in the supply chain, issues that cannot be resolved by a single company.

SBTN Guidance for the Seafood Industry Calling for Science-Based Target Setting

In the field of biodiversity, the Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN), an international initiative calling for the setting of targets based on scientific evidence,Guidance for the seafood industryThe guidance was released in March and calls for measures such as preventing overfishing, protecting the marine environment, and reducing risks to endangered and protected species.

Musholm A/S (Denmark), a subsidiary of Okamura Food Industries Co., Ltd. (Aomori Prefecture), was selected as one of the pilot companies to develop this framework., and helped develop the indicators.

And in SeptemberThe Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in the High Seas and Other Areas (BBNJ Agreement) has now reached the required number of ratifications of 60 countries, and will come into force on January 17, 2026.This will put in place a comprehensive system to conserve the high seas, which account for approximately 6% of the world's oceans. With the coming into force of the agreement, the establishment of marine protected areas will progress, and it is hoped that by 2030 the goal of 30 by 30 will be achieved, with 3% of land and sea protected areas covered.

Financial products that support companies in conserving biodiversity

June,Nissui announces signing of "Nature Impact Finance" agreement with Sumitomo Mitsui Trust BankThis is the bank's first attempt at "nature impact finance," and it aims to evaluate the impact of corporate activities by further enhancing information disclosure based on recommendations from the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

Nissui is one of the first to publish the "Nissui Group TNFD Report 2023" in December 2023. With support from financial institutions, it is expected that further progress will be made in information disclosure aimed at "ensuring sustainable marine resources."

Besides this,Mizuho Securities will issue the first nature bond in Japan in August, specializing in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity.It is likely that investment and financing institutions will continue to create financial products to support companies in conserving biodiversity, such as these.

Certified seafood is making great strides. Interest in the SDGs is behind it.

This year has also seen a breakthrough in certified seafood. In May, the Global Seafood Alliance (GSA), which manages the BAP certification, an international certification for farmed seafood, announced thatAnnounced that the number of products bearing the BAP certification logo in circulation in Japan has exceeded 200, mainly shrimp and salmon.　

In November,The number of businesses in Japan that have obtained MSC CoC certification to handle MSC-certified seafood has exceeded 400.Japan surpasses Europe and the US to become the world's third largest exporter after China and the USIt was announced that the number of certified businesses has increased by approximately 35 to 40% between 2016 and 2019 compared to the previous year. In particular, the increase in certification among businesses that handle tuna and bonito is attracting attention. This is thought to be due to a growing awareness of the crisis surrounding marine resources and interest in the SDGs.

On-site proposals for the conservation of fisheries resources

Fishermen, chefs, and others who work with fish on a daily basis have also called on policymakers to protect fishery resources.

The top chef team, Chefs for the Blue, submitted a proposal to then Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi and then Commissioner of the Fisheries Agency Mori for the recovery of fishery resources and the preservation and inheritance of food culture.He argued that many marine products are disappearing, including gizzard shad, the star of Edomae sushi, as well as common octopus, mantis shrimp, and clams, which are important to the local diet, and wild kelp, which is essential to Japanese cuisine, and that if this continues, Japanese cuisine, a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, will be at risk.

Furthermore, in September, members of the "Project to Deliver the Voices of the Field to the Government," which was formed at the "Fisheries Future Summit," where volunteers from fishermen and fisheries companies across the country discussed the future of the industry,Submitted a policy proposal to then Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Koizumi and Director-General of the Fisheries Agency Hitoshi Fujita, calling for the securing of a research budget for the recovery of fishery resources.　

How can we reflect the voices of those on the ground in our policies? We need to think about the content and the speed with which we implement them.

Movements in Pacific bluefin tuna resource management

In July in ToyamaWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) committee meeting concludesThe plan to agree on a medium- to long-term harvest strategy and harvest strategy assessment, which are essential for sustainable fishing of Pacific bluefin tuna, whose stocks have recovered, ended in failure.

However, progress has been made in strengthening measures against IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing, and discussions were also held on strengthening surveillance of bluefin tuna fishing based on a draft strengthening policy submitted by Japan.

In December, 21 Japanese organizations, including Seafood Legacy, filed a petition with the WCPFC and the Japanese Fisheries Agency.We submitted a request calling for the introduction of a harvest strategy based on the precautionary principle for the sustainable use and conservation of tuna resources.

Sustainable Seafood Summit held for the first time in Osaka 

This year, the largest sustainable seafood event in Asia,Sustainable Seafood Summit moves away from Tokyo for the first time to OsakaIt was also the year (held October 1-2, 2025).

In order to achieve last year's goal of "Making sustainable seafood mainstream," a total of approximately 463 participants participated over the two days of the event, where they engaged in extensive discussions to map out this year's theme, "Map of the Future of the Fisheries Industry."

Archived videos of each session are availableCLICK HERE

It was held at the same timeThe "BLUE OCEAN DOME" (exhibited by certified NPO ZERI Japan) at the Osaka-Kansai Expo will be holding a week-long program to think about sustainable seafood, "Choosing and Protecting the Future of Fish Week," from September 29th to October 5th.Participatory workshops and talk sessions were held to raise awareness of sustainable seafood among visitors to the Expo.

The Sustainable Seafood Summit 2026 will be held in Tokyo from Wednesday, October 21st to Friday, October 23rd, 2026.

All of us at the editorial team sincerely hope that the new year will be a year of great progress for you all.