SeaBOS

SeaBOS (Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship) is a global initiative bringing together ten of the world's largest seafood companies and scientists to promote more sustainable seafood production and improve ocean health.

In 2012, researchers analyzed data from the world's top 160 seafood-related companies.^*1The study showed that just 13 companies control 11-16% of the world's fisheries production. These 13 companies are defined as "keystone actors" that (1) have a significant impact on global fisheries yields and catches, (2) control seafood-related sectors globally, (3) connect ecosystems globally through their subsidiaries, and (4) influence global management laws and institutions.^*2It was done.

The researchers called on 13 keystone actors to drive a global change towards responsible management of fisheries and oceans, and the companies agreed, leading to the founding of SeaBOS in 2016.

SeaBOS is unique in that it has laid the foundations for a new global science and business initiative, linking fisheries, feed producers and aquaculture industries in Asia, Europe and North America.

Currently, eight fishing and aquaculture companies from around the world, mainly from Norway, Thailand, the United States, South Korea, and Japan, are members, including the international fisheries companies Maruha Nichiro and Nissui from Japan. Maruha Nichiro, the world's largest, has sales three to four times that of major fisheries companies in other countries, and has an enormous influence.

In addition, one of the member companies, Cermaq, the world's third largest salmon farming, processing and sales company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, and Japanese companies have a very high position in SeaBOS.

SeaBOS has identified the following 10 issues as its top priorities.

・Improve transparency
・Reducing IUU fishing
Listening to science
・Eradication of modern slavery
・Reducing antibiotic use in aquaculture
・Reducing plastic use
・Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
・Development of aquaculture
・Development and deployment of new technologies
・Support for innovation

Using these issues as guidelines, companies and scientists are working in the following six task forces:

I. Addressing IUU fishing, endangered species, and forced labor
II. Communication (promoting and explaining SeaBOS leadership)
III. Collaboration with government agencies
IV. SeaBOS Transparency and Governance
V. Reducing Marine Plastics
Ⅵ. Response to Climate Change

Since 2016, the Keystone Dialogue has been held once a year, bringing together participating companies and scientists to discuss sustainable fishing.

Based on the six task forces mentioned above, we have begun working toward managing fishing gear (plastic products) and making fishery resources more visible by investigating and publishing the resources we handle.

<References>

*1 "Collaborating with science and business to move the global fishing industry forward" (Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Symposium 2019, 2019)
https://sustainableseafoodnow.com/archive/report/tsss2019/1329/

*2 From the SeaBOS website ("About SeaBOS")
https://seabos.org/about/