2025: Getting Underway: Asset Managers' Seafood Sector Policy Analysis

During early 2025, WWF conducted a third assessment of 42 asset managers’ approaches to addressing environmental and social (E&S) risks in seafood-related investments. The objective of this research was to understand if and how investors are continuing to improve the way they manage these risks in their seafood portfolios, and where, specifically, additional support may be needed most. This report highlights key findings from this assessment, compares the results against the prior year to monitor progress, provides actionable recommendations for asset managers, and directs readers to practical resources to guide next steps. 

Of the 42 asset managers assessed, 40% (17) demonstrated minor or moderate improvements against last year’s assessment. Many of these improvements were driven by new or strengthened biodiversity commitments, increased nature-related risk assessment efforts, and ongoing work to engage portfolio companies on nature-related issues. For example, on the whole, 43% (18) of the asset managers now include biodiversity risk management in investment, risk, or thematic policies—explicitly setting expectations for investment and engagement decisions—up from 33% in 2023. However, while this progress is encouraging, this year’s assessment also documented stagnation in progress by 43% (18) of the assessed asset managers, and minor or moderate declines in the performance of 17% (7) of the assessed asset managers. These declines were the result of some reductions in E&S disclosures, as well as instances of changes to or reductions in engagement efforts with portfolio companies on E&S issues.  

To ensure that asset managers sufficiently prevent and manage their exposure to E&S risks, more progress is needed, and faster. Consistent with last year, our analysis found that only one of the 42 assessed asset managers has yet developed and publicly disclosed seafood-specific E&S expectations for its investee companies. This persistent gap underscores the misalignment between stated biodiversity ambitions and the comprehensiveness of policies required to translate those commitments into credible impact. 

See the 2023 assessment.

See the 2022 baseline assessment.