Knut Nesse to lead ocean stewardship organization SeaBOS

Knut Nesse, the former CEO of fish feed producer Nutreco, has been appointed managing director of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS).

The organization was created in 2016 with the objective of encouraging corporate leadership in ocean stewardship. Its members include Maruha Nichiro Corporation, Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Thai Union Group, Marine Harvest Group, Dongwon Industries, Cermaq (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation), Cargill Aqua Nutrition, Skretting (a subsidiary of Nutreco), Charoen Pokphand Foods, and Kyokuyo. 

Nesse’s appointment was made at the third keystone dialogue between leaders of the 10 SeaBOS member companies, which took place in Japan on 4 September. At the meeting, SeaBOS members identified the organization’s top priorities as addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and modern slavery, according to a press release from Stockholm Univeresity’s Stockholm Resilience Centre, which formerly oversaw the SeaBOS initiative but which has transferred its coordinator role to the companies involved in the initiative.

Also at the meeting, Maruha Nichiro President and CEO Shigeru Ito was appointed as the first chairman of the SeaBOS initiative.

“SeaBOS is a global coalition between companies with a strategic vision to actively contribute to addressing the ocean stewardship challenge,” Ito said. “I am committed to making this initiative a great success and ensure that we take on a global responsibility.”

The aim of the SeaBOS initiative is to stimulate industry leadership for ocean stewardship in accordance with best available science, according to the press release, with the companies involved pledging their commitment to transparent reporting and playing a leading role in improving global ocean policy and regulations in support of ocean stewardship.

Nesse will end his six-year tenure as the head of Nutreco in October 2018 and will take on his role as director of SeaBOS in January 2019.

"The ocean cannot wait and we have the responsibility to make a difference,” Nesse said. “We now have a solid financial and institutional basis for this young initiative, which started only in 2016, and I am very happy to accept this new position as SeaBOS director.”

SeaBOS’ next keystone dialogue will take place in Thailand in 2019 and will be hosted by Charoen Pokphand Foods and Thai Union.

Photo courtesy of SeaBOS