TSSS 10th Special Feature : Completing a Massive Jigsaw Puzzle Spanning the Entire Society for Sustainable Seafood Worldwide(Part 2)
INTERVIEW
Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) is a global initiative that aims to lead a science-based global transformation towards sustainable seafood production and a healthy ocean. In part 1, we spoke with Managing Director Martin Exel about how the nine major global seafood companies (as of March 2024) that are a part of SeaBOS work together with scientists, and the results of this partnership (Read part 1 here).
In part 2, we’ll hear about the Japanese companies that are a part of SeaBOS, Martin’s experience with the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit (TSSS), and his outlook for the future of the sea, and what’s in store at SeaBOS.
—What kind of impression do you have of the Japanese companies (Nissui Corporation, Maruha Nichiro Corporation, and Kyokuyo Co., Ltd.) participating in SeaBOS?
In the past five years, these three Japanese companies have chosen to change and make huge steps forward. It’s great to see how they are actively working together on initiatives like reducing antibiotics use, and leading the task force on reducing plastic pollution. The CEOs also came together for a three-company joint coastal cleanup event in 2023, which had significant impact on a wider awareness of the marine plastic problem.
Nissui’s Toshiya Yabuki has also been a valuable SeaBOS member from the very beginning, and is a good example of executive leadership that has been helping to drive the message through companies. There are also great people from Maruha Nichiro and Kyokuyo who are involved in SeaBOS.
—Are there any memories you could share of your participation in the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit (TSSS), or any thoughts you have looking back now?
I’ve attended TSSS four times, including online, but what has really stuck with me is the very first meeting with Seafood Legacy. They told me what they wanted to achieve with TSSS, and I was impressed with their professionalism, passion and dedication. It was wonderful how they were presenting solutions instead of highlighting the problems and challenges. It really resonated with me
As a speaker at TSSS, I can see how it’s getting better every year. This is a really special experience. In the past 10 years, I think the awareness of sustainable seafood has increased in Japan, at SeaBOS member companies and more widely at smaller seafood businesses, restaurants, retail stores and local governments.
—What specific areas do you believe the seafood industry should focus on?
The first area is ensuring the sustainability of the oceans and seafood. Without ocean sustainability, resources will dwindle and the industry will fail. The second is creating sustainable working conditions for people in the business, and the third is increasing profitability. We need to create a model for profitability where we can get more value from smaller catches of fish.
—What would SeaBOS like to focus on in the future?
The initial goals of the five task forces were primarily to establish frameworks and mechanisms. This meant that much of the initial work focused on companies improving their own operations, which I think was easy to implement. But looking ahead it’s going to be more difficult, because we want to extend these initiatives to the supply chain of all 465 subsidiaries of SeaBOS member companies.
With this in mind, through CEO-level meetings SeaBOS established two keystone projects that we are now focusing on. The first is with our task force for reducing antibiotics use in aquaculture, and is working in Thailand to develop a new way of testing farmed fish for antibiotic-resistant genes. The second involves our task force for reducing IUU fishing and eliminating modern slavery, which is active in West Africa. We are working with local companies, governments, and human rights organizations, and creating a framework to assess risk of and eliminate IUU fishing and modern slavery or forced labor of children.
We need more than just the power of these nine companies in order to lead a global revolution, so as an organization we plan to provide scope to increase membership this spring. We also want to raise consumers’ awareness of the current state of sustainable seafood and our initiatives.
Working with SeaBOS has allowed me to meet others who are passionate about ocean sustainability, from a business, science or conservation perspective. I feel like the luckiest man on the planet to be able to work in a business that I love and meet such wonderful people. At SeaBOS, I’ll continue working to achieve sustainability for the oceans and the people who work in the industry.
A group picture from the 2022 SeaBOS annual meeting in the Netherlands. Martin is in the front row on the very right.
Martin Exel
Managing Director,
SeaBOSAfter obtaining a Bachelor of Science from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and a Graduate Diploma in Fisheries Technology from the Australian Maritime College, Martin has been involved in the seafood industry for over 40 years. He has worked in many different roles, from a fisher to research and management positions in government and academic institutions. In his free time, he is also a passionate angler. He has been Managing Director of SeaBOS since 2019.
Original Japanese text: Miho Soga
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