From auctioneer to MSC, spreading marine education through "Fish Elementary School" (Part 2)

Representative Director, Japan Sustainable Seafood Association
Principal of Fish Elementary School
Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Makoto Suzuki

Makoto Suzuki, who started his career as a fisherman's apprentice and auctioneer at Tsukiji Market, began working at the MSC Japan office while studying at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo. At MSC, he worked tirelessly, traveling all over Japan to help obtain certification.Read Part 1）

After becoming independent, she established "Japan Fisheries Certification Support" in 2019 and "Japan Sustainable Seafood Association" in 2021. She develops unique activities that support both fishermen and consumers, and operates "Osakana Elementary School" as part of her consumer education efforts.

At last year's EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, one of the private pavilions, "BLUE OCEAN DOME (ZERI JAPAN)," held the event...Choosing and protecting the future of fish WeekWe'll hear from Ms. Suzuki, who also gave a special lesson at the event, about the circumstances leading to her independence, the content of the lessons at Osakana Elementary School, and her vision for the future of the ocean. 

Towards the "source" of distribution with MSC: Working tirelessly to obtain certification.

—After graduating from university, Mr. Suzuki worked as an auctioneer at Tsukiji Market for eight years before joining MSC. Even though it's still a job related to the sea, the environment must have changed quite a bit, right?

At MSC, I felt like I was even closer to the source of distribution than at Tsukiji Market. At Tsukiji, I mainly interacted with shipping managers and wholesalers from fisheries companies, but at MSC, I started interacting with fisheries company managers, fisheries cooperatives, and fishermen, and I learned a great deal about production sites throughout Japan.

In some areas, fishermen manage resources using their own methods and take pride in the fact that they are the ones practicing sustainable fishing. However, when MSC inspectors from Europe and the US come to conduct inspections, they point out things from a completely different perspective, such as "they don't have a grasp of resource levels" or "coral is caught in the nets." Until then, I had only known about Japanese fisheries, so I was very interested to see how Japanese fisheries would be viewed through the international standard of MSC.

With fishermen from small-scale British fisheries that obtained MSC certification during the MSC era.

Since undergoing MSC certification costs several million yen, we received support from overseas funds and the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and while undergoing certification assessments in various parts of Japan, including Hokkaido, Mie, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima, we learned about the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese fisheries. We then had experts analyze our findings.Mirine PolicyIt was posted to [platform name].

We have become independent and support both fishermen and consumers. We have also opened "Osakana Elementary School" for marine education!

—So, after working at MSC for six years, you became independent in 2019?

Yes. It is difficult for fishermen to obtain MSC certification on their own, and even overseas, it is not uncommon for them to be involved with specialized consultants. I also wanted to support Japanese fishermen aiming to obtain certification, but I was unable to do so in my position as an MSC employee. So I resigned and started "Japan Fisheries Certification Support" as a sole proprietorship, providing support throughout the certification process while addressing MSC's strict standards and requirements, and helping fishermen obtain MSC certification.

Furthermore, in 2021, I established the "Japan Sustainable Seafood Association," a general incorporated association, to educate consumers about the ocean and Japanese fisheries, and to think together with them about what consumers can do. Currently, my activities involve supporting fishermen through "Japan Fisheries Certification Support" and conducting activities to educate consumers through the "Japan Sustainable Seafood Association."

—So, what were your thoughts when you started "Osakana Elementary School"?

Originally, I intended to create a program for consumers. However, I thought that if I created a program that teaches children about marine life and ocean-related issues, their parents might also watch the program and think about it. That's how "Osakana Elementary School" (Fish Elementary School) was started. Osakana Elementary School is held online every Saturday morning from 9:00 AM for 30 minutes. Each month we have a theme, such as tuna in April, sea bream in May, and coral in June, and we learn about the ocean throughout the year by inviting guests such as fishermen, aquarium staff, and researchers for special lessons.

To ensure that children don't get bored learning online, we use methods such as showing real objects and giving quizzes. For example, in our shark lesson in January, we used shark bones, stuffed animals, and handmade models. We also dissect real sharks to show their body structure, and we even send sharks to children who want to try dissecting one themselves. And we also discuss the practice of cutting off the fins of sharks, which are the raw material for shark fin soup, and discarding the bodies of live sharks into the sea during fishing.Shark FinningWe use handmade dolls to explain the problem of the ocean in an easy-to-understand way, encouraging people to think about ocean-related issues.

This video clearly explains "shark finning," a serious problem where sharks are discarded with their fins cut off.

I believe that what we teach at Osakana Elementary School is something that students can't learn in their regular elementary or middle school classes. We accept questions during the lessons, and I work together with the students to deepen our understanding of the ocean. As a result, we sometimes receive comments from students who have taken the lessons saying, "I want to work in a job that protects the ocean." At a special lesson co-hosted with Seafood Legacy at EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai, some children who usually take Osakana Elementary School lessons online even came to the venue to meet us.

At the special lesson "Let's Learn About Sustainable Seafood Together as a Family!" at the Osaka-Kansai Expo

—I hear you're currently working at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

Last October, thanks to donations from Umios (formerly Maruha Nichiro), Seven & i Holdings, and the Ito Memorial Foundation, a Fisheries Sustainability Endowed Chair was established at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and I assumed the position of specially appointed assistant professor. For the next five years, I will be engaged in educational and research activities at the graduate school. I hope to share my expertise in international certifications, including MSC certification, and consumer communication, with students and working professionals based on my past experiences.

Social design: Changing the ocean by doing what each individual can.

—You entered the world of fishing during your university years, and after working at Tsukiji Market and MSC, you continue to address marine issues while working closely with both fishermen and consumers. What is it that drives you to take action?

When we think about the Earth's environment, we sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem and the sense of powerlessness that there's nothing we can do. Ever since I became interested in environmental issues as a teenager, I've vaguely wondered how we could engage with environmental problems in a fun way. The great thing about the theme of "the sea and fish" is that the sea is magnificent and beautiful, and fish are delicious. We can all gather around a delicious fish dish and have a fun conversation about the environment and how we use resources. When I saw the National Geographic article I mentioned in the first part of this series, I was able to envision such a future.

The establishment of the Japan Sustainable Seafood Association also began when I started gatherings in the kitchen of the shared office where I was located, where I would prepare fish and we would eat together. This led to connections with people and made it possible to make it happen. I believe it's important to act while considering whether you yourself will enjoy it. Following the concept of social design (creating new value by creatively solving social issues while enjoying them as your own responsibility), I think it's best to start with what you can do and want to do.

—Finally, what kind of future do you envision for the marine environment, Ms. Suzuki?

Of course, I hope for a future where we have abundant oceans, can eat delicious fish, and where problems like plastic waste and coral bleaching are solved. And with that big goal in mind, I want to expand marine education even further. The ocean covers 7% of the Earth's surface and is closely related to the lives of those of us who live on land. For example, the heavy rains and floods that have become frequent in recent years are related to changes in sea surface temperature. As the glaciers and ice sheets of Greenland, which face the Arctic Ocean, melt, it will have a major impact on the climate of the entire planet. In order to protect the future of humanity and the future of Japan, we must learn about the ocean. However, the reality is that in many elementary and junior high schools, students learn almost nothing about the ocean. I want to change that little by little.

In order to make sustainable seafood mainstream by 2030, as Seafood Legacy aims to achieve, it's not enough for consumers to simply choose sustainable seafood. We believe it's necessary to expand efforts to restore the Earth's natural environment, starting with what can be done at each local level, such as restoring seaweed beds, maintaining coral reefs, reducing marine debris, and considering the relationship between the ocean and the mountains. I hope that we can create a society where each individual thinks about the future of a rich ocean, confronts the reality before them, and takes action.

Makoto Suzuki
Born in Tokyo in 1980. While studying at Kyoto University's Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, he experienced life as a fisherman's apprentice. After graduating, he worked for eight years as an auctioneer at the Tsukiji Market for a seafood wholesale company. While studying at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, he joined the Japan office of the non-profit organization MSC, where he dedicated himself to promoting the certification program and the eco-label for the sea. He later became independent, establishing "Japan Fisheries Certification Support" in 2019 and the "Japan Sustainable Seafood Association" in 2021. As part of his activities to connect fishermen and consumers, he is currently running "Fish Elementary School," an online class for children. From 2025, he will be a specially appointed assistant professor at the Fisheries Sustainability Endowed Chair at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.

Interviewed and written by: Shino Kawasaki

After working at a design firm planning and editing corporate advertisements, she became a freelance writer, copywriter, and food coordinator in 2016. She writes in a variety of fields, including lifestyle, food and drink, and medicine.