SBTN Ocean Hub
WWF-US is one of two co-leading organizations of the Science Based Targets Network’s Ocean Hub (alongside Conservation International), developing guidance for companies to set science-based targets for the ocean.
Science-based targets enable companies to take action and address the most pressing of their impacts to the ocean in their direct operations and upstream supply chains. They first assess their impacts in a location-specific manner and then prioritize where their cumulative impact is the greatest and where there is the greatest environmental urgency. They then publicly commit to the measurable objectives set out by our experts, based on the best available scientific evidence, and disclose on their progress as they work to meet the ambition of the targets developed by the SBTN Ocean Hub.
The SBTN Ocean Hub Version 1.0 Guidance (in development) is focused on targets for the seafood value chain, addressing the largest pressures from both the wild capture and aquaculture industries in the ocean to halt and reverse nature loss. Steering committee members include FishWise, Marine Stewardship Council, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.
The SBTN Ocean Hub V1.0 Guidance has three draft targets:
- Target 1: Avoid and Reduce Overexploitation covers wild fisheries, helping companies avoid reliance on commodities derived from overexploited stocks and engage in seascapes and jurisdictions to improve fisheries conditions and reduce overfishing.
- Target 2: Protect Structural Habitats covers aquaculture and wild fisheries, helping companies avoid and reduce impacts on structural habitats (e.g. coral reefs and seagrasses) in marine and transitional environments.
- Target 3: Reduce Risks to Endangered, Threatened, and Protected Marine Wildlife covers wild fisheries, addressing impacts to endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) marine wildlife species from wild capture fishing by mitigating known risks from fishing strategies, locations, and spatiotemporal overlap with ETP marine wildlife.
These targets have been drafted, gone through initial review, piloted by four seafood companies (Bolton Foods, Orkla, Mars Petcare, Musholm), and will be open for public comment from September 10th to October 22, 2024. We encourage all interested parties to visit SBTN’s website to download the Ocean Hub V1.0 Guidance for the Seafood Value Chain and supporting documents for review and to submit comments.
SBTN Ocean Hub will launch V1.0 Guidance for the Seafood Value Chain for companies to set science-based targets for the ocean in early 2025, and expand guidance for other sectors and pressures in V2.0 beginning later in 2025.
Join the SBTN Ocean Hub as an Advisor (receive periodic updates and the opportunity to provide feedback) or a Stakeholder (receive periodic updates, e.g. mailing list), through the SBTN Ocean Hub page.