Selection Reason
Through engagement with the foodservice industry, dialogues with the government, and educational activities, this project has enabled the participation of diverse stakeholders over the years. Its uniqueness lies in how chefs themselves raise awareness of the critical state of seafood and actively bring producers, distributors, and consumers together. Its efforts to reach out to younger generations provide additional strength to this project. As a next step, the project needs to become able to even more clearly link its activities with concrete sustainability-related impacts. To do so, further capacity development to be able to set specific goals and compile data to back their impact is anticipated.

Project Overview
Chefs for the Blue began in 2017 as a study group organized by a food journalist concerned about the critical state of Japanese seafood resources, bringing together top chefs in Tokyo.
An additional team was launched in Kyoto in 2021, and in 2024, the Blue Community, an online platform to reach out to the wider foodservice industry, was launched. Chefs for the Blue's diverse activities include the following: making policy recommendations; events led by its member chefs for the general public; the national award-winning Blue Camp, which is an educational program for students; and delivering the voices of 1,300 owners and procurement managers of restaurants to the government.
Through these efforts, Chefs for the Blue positions chefs as a vital link between producers, distributors, and consumers, toward the sustainable use of seafood resources.
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Selection Reason
Skretting Japan has opened up new possibilities for domestically produced sustainable aquaculture feed. This is a groundbreaking achievement, directly addressing resource depletion, IUU (illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing and human rights issues, and introducing international standards to Japan. Exploring ways to allow for this model to be widely adopted, as well as ways to achieve a better balance between sustainability and business viability across the industry, are some key areas for the next stage.

Project Overview
In February 2025, Skretting Japan became the first ASC-certified feed producer in Japan through collaboration with producers and suppliers. Many of the currently available aquaculture feeds rely on raw materials from unsustainable fisheries or agriculture, such as those sourced by IUU fishing or operators violating human rights, often contributing to resource depletion.
The project aimed to promote responsible sourcing and to break the vicious cycle between aquaculture, fisheries and agriculture. Through dialogue with ingredient suppliers and action taken during procurement activities, Skretting worked to ensure compliance with the environmental and labor requirements of the ASC Feed Standard, thereby ensuring world-class sustainability in the company's feed production. As it was long considered difficult for Japanese feed producers to become certified, this project is a milestone that has proven that business viability and sustainability can indeed go hand in hand in Japan.
Skretting will continue to contribute to the spread of ASC certification and support the sustainable growth of Japan's aquaculture industry.
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Selection Reason
This project brings together a range of stakeholders, from fishers, researchers, local government officials to high school students for satoumi*1 restoration and local cultural revitalization , centered around seaweed. The activity that involves engagement with ama*2 from the Noto Peninsula is educationally valuable and demonstrates new ways to make the most of local resources. Further information sharing and the development of the project into a community-revitalization model centered around seaweed are anticipated.

*1 Coastal areas where biological productivity and biodiversity has increased through prolonged interaction between humans and ecosystems.
*2 (Mostly female) free divers who gather seafood, largely relying on traditional methods.

Project Overview
This project brings together a range of stakeholders, from fishers, local government officials, researchers, high school students, and restaurant owners for satoumi restoration and local cultural revitalization, centered around seaweed on Sado Island..
Throughout history, seaweed has been used in diverse ways–as food, fertilizer, building material, ritual offerings, and even toys–in Sado. However, environmental changes, population decline, and decreasing consumer demand for seaweed are threatening this traditional culture. The number of wakame farmers fell from 114 in 2013 to 48 in 2023. This project aims to slow down this decline and launch three new wakame-farming ventures. In addition to commonly used seaweed like wakame, kombu and nagamo, the initiative explores the use of underutilized seaweed species as well.
Collaboration with other coastal areas is progressing as well: after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, ama from Wajima (the largest city in Noto) joined the project to advance satoumi conservation and local cultural revitalization.
By sharing learnings from each of these activities and connecting those at the frontline of conservation, production and consumption, the project seeks to strengthen the seaweed food industry, enrich local livelihoods and realize healthy and sustainable satoumi.
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Selection Reason
The local fisheries cooperative leads a collaboration to improve blue carbon storage with local businesses, schools and the municipality. Original activities like creating new bento meals that use fish that eat away eelgrass are also implemented, gaining interest locally. As the project is still in its early stages, securing external support and finding ways to generate revenue will be key to sustainable project growth.

Project Overview
The southern limit of Japan's eelgrass beds lies in the coastal waters of Yamakawa, Ibusuki, Kagoshima. Led by the Yamakawa Fisheries Cooperative Association, the project brings together local businesses to restore and conserve eelgrass habitats. Eelgrass beds are nursery habitats and sometimes called the "cradle of life." In addition, as eelgrass captures CO₂ through photosynthesis, these habitats can store blue carbon and contribute to climate change mitigation.
In recent years, however, environmental changes and excessive grazing by fish have led to the loss of eelgrass beds, sometimes called "ocean desertification." In response, the Yamakawa Fisheries Cooperative Association, in collaboration with local businesses and schools, collected around 200,000 eelgrass seeds and planted them while protecting them with 49 biodegradable mats. An area of about 245 square meters has been covered.
The project also promotes environmental education and experiential tourism, raising local awareness of the importance of eelgrass beds. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment has certified the area as a site for contributing to the achievement of 30by30 . Furthermore, the project has also become the first project in Kagoshima to be certified by the J Blue Credit scheme (for the absorption of 0.4 tons of CO₂). On another note, the project is working on value creation as well, such as by using fish that eat away eelgrass to create new bento meals. These efforts are expected to serve as a sustainable model of local collaboration. It is hoped that the project can develop into a new model for sustainability through local collaboration.
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