Environment

Support for SeaBOS

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Support for SeaBOS

SeaBOS, which stands for Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship, is an initiative for promoting the preservation of the marine environment and marine resources and the sustainable use of resources advocated at the "Keystone Dialogue," a conference hosted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University (Sweden) in November 2016. SeaBOS is distinctive for its activities based on collaboration among ten of the largest seafood companies in the world (eight companies at the time of its establishment) while receiving support in scientific aspects as well. In December 2016, Nissui became a signatory to and joined SeaBOS, and at the Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Symposium held in 2017, Nissui expressed its support for the thinking behind SeaBOS and declared its commitment to promoting initiatives for SeaBOS as part of its promoting activities of sustainability.
Efforts are being made to resolve issues in pursuit of a sustainable marine business, together with leading companies in the seafood industry and scientists worldwide, including those in Japan, Norway, Thailand, USA and South Korea.

system, 日本水産株式会社サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 日本水産株式会社コーポレートコミュニケーション部, 日本水産株式会社人事部人事課

Participation in the Sixth SeaBOS Dialogue

In October 2021, the Sixth SeaBOS Dialogue was held online. Discussions were held on each main theme of task forces, including such topics as the elimination of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and forced, bonded and child labor, the reduction of antimicrobials use in aquaculture, the marine plastics problem and the climate change problem, and an agreement was made regarding their respective targets and plans.

Theme	Matters agreed upon (2020)	Progress and new matters agreed upon (2021)
Elimination of IUU fishing and forced, bonded and child labor	Confirm that our fishery and aquaculture operations are not involved in IUU fishing, forced labor or child labor. Implement measures to address those issues in their supply chains – with public reporting on progress in 2022 and 2025	Confirmed that our fishery and aquaculture operations are not involved in IUU fishing, forced labor or child labor
Work on endangered species	Agree on a strategy for reducing impacts on endangered species	Decided to promote initiatives to prevent the bycatch of endangered species, starting with sharks, rays and seabirds, in fishery and aquaculture businesses. Plans to expand the scope in the future
Marine plastics problem	Extend the collaboration with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (Note) Adress to solve the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear; and combine to clean up plastics pollution from our coasts and waterways	-
Reduction of antimicrobials use in aquaculture	Agree on a strategy for reducing use of antimicrobials	Adopted the policy to basically not use antibiotics in the form of Critically Important Antimicrobials (CIAs) prescribed by WHO. Even in cases where the use of CIA drugs is permitted by law, as in the case of Japan, consider measures not to use such drugs through collaboration with the authorities, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies, etc. Establish a Code of Conduct (COC) on the management of antimicrobials use by October 2022 Formulate a roadmap for reviewing the use of the aforementioned CIA drugs by October 2023
Climate change problem	Set CO₂ emissions reduction goals and reporting approaches from each company	Set a CO₂ emissions reduction target for each company by May 2022.
Communications	-	Enhance communication within SeaBOS and proactively release information on initiatives and accomplishments of SeaBOS widely outside SeaBOS

(Note): Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) is an initiative aimed at taking measures against ghost gear (i.e., fishing gear remaining in the ocean due to being lost, abandoned or otherwise discarded). GGGI creates databases of ghost gear and prepares guidelines for curbing the generation of ghost gear.

Meeting held in October 2021. From left: Shingo Hamada (President of Nissui), Henrik Österblom (Science director of Stockholm Resilience Centre), Makoto Inoue (President of Kyokuyo Co., Ltd.), Masaru Ikemi (President of Maruha Nichiro Corporation)

Additionally, a panel discussion on SeaBOS took place at the “Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Summit 2021,” held online in October 2021. Nissui took the podium along with Dr. Henrik Österblom, Science Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre, as well as Maruha Nichiro Corporation and Kyokuyo Co., Ltd.. Mr. Martin Exel, Managing Director of SeaBOS, also joined online and engaged in discussions on such topics as Japan’s sustainable procurement, marine resources surveys and the marine plastics problem.

Features of SeaBOS

Connecting science and business

One of the major features of SeaBOS is the collaboration by scientists and the major companies of the seafood industry to work toward sustainability with a scientific basis. For example, the companies which form the membership of SeaBOS are selected based on the traditional concept of “Keystone species” in ecological research. “Keystone species” are thought to have a major effect on the ecosystem and serve as the key of each species (The word “keystone” denotes the central stone at the summit of an arch). Based on this concept, SeaBOS believes that the major global seafood companies may become the “Keystone actors” which will have an immense effect on the marine ecosystem and that if these companies assumed leadership in sustainability initiatives, it would have a chain effect on the seafood industry as a whole, and as a result, it would largely improve the management of marine resources and the marine ecosystem.

Keystone Species (From SeaBOS materials)

Areas addressed by SeaBOS

SeaBOS has several task forces dedicated, for example, to eliminating IUU fishing and the problem of marine plastics, and engages in various initiatives for the sustainability of marine resources.

The Task Forces of SeaBOS (From SeaBOS materials)

system, 日本水産株式会社サステナビリティ推進部, 外部協力者, 日本水産株式会社コーポレートコミュニケーション部