Ocean Outcomes and Seafood Legacy Form East Asian Partnership
Wakao Hanaoka, Founder & President/CEO of Seafood Legacy Inc. and Kelly Harrell, Executive Director of Ocean Outcomes
More Sustainable, Transparent and Responible East Asian Seafood Supply Chains
Ocean Outcomes and Seafood Legacy Inc. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), effective January 1, 2026, to enhance collaboration towards improving the sustainability of fisheries and seafood supply chains across East Asia.
Through this agreement, the two organizations will leverage their respective expertise and networks to collaborate — particularly in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea — on advancing sustainability initiatives across the seafood sector, including Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), Electronic Monitoring (EM), traceability, responsible sourcing, and broader market transformation.
Background of the Partnership
With increasing global focus on seafood sustainability and the associated human rights and labor risks within supply chains, Asian markets are increasingly recognized as pivotal to driving international transformation.
For the past decade, Seafood Legacy and Ocean Outcomes have been at the forefront of the responsible seafood movement in East Asia. Ocean Outcomes, meanwhile, develops and implements practical, field-based initiatives worldwide, generating “triple impact” outcomes—environmental, social, and economic—through Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs), electronic monitoring, projects that advance social responsibility, and data-driven engagements on the water and at the production level. Seafood Legacy has played a leading role in promoting responsible seafood and advancing market transformation in Japan and across Asia.
While the two organizations have a history of working together, this MOU formalizes a more strategic, longer-term partnership.
Key Areas of Planned Collaboration
Under the MOU, the two organizations will explore collaboration in the following areas:
Strengthening Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) and social responsibility in seafood supply chains. With a focus on Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, the partners will share improvement frameworks, pilot worker-centered approaches, and support companies in strengthening their due diligence capabilities.
Expanding transparency and traceability through Electronic Monitoring (EM) and data utilization. Through digital tools and data-sharing initiatives, the collaboration will aim to enhance compliance, transparency, and accountability across East Asian seafood supply chains.
Capacity building for market transformation and responsible sourcing. The organizations will jointly conduct workshops, stakeholder dialogues, and training programs for buyers and suppliers.
Strengthening collaboration among regional and international stakeholders. Ocean Outcomes will share expertise with Seafood Legacy on FIPs, EM, and international frameworks, while Seafood Legacy will facilitate connections among companies, NGOs, industry actors, and suppliers within the Japanese market.
Comments From Leadership
“Seafood Legacy has played a pivotal role in catalyzing the sustainable seafood movement in Japan over the last 10 years. As both of our organizations celebrate ten year anniversaries and look towards a future marked by greater impact and innovation, we are thrilled to solidify a formal partnership that leverages our unique and interconnected roles in East Asia. This collaboration, along with other regional partners, provides a solid foundation on which to scale our collective efforts towards more sustainable, transparent and responsible East Asian seafood supply chains.” — Kelly Harrell, Executive Director, Ocean Outcomes
“Ocean Outcomes’ practical improvement approaches and expertise in data utilization are critically important for the seafood sector in Japan and across Asia. Given our shared history—including Seafood Legacy’s past merger with Ocean Outcomes’ former Japan office—I am truly pleased that we are able to establish a new partnership framework in this form. Through this MOU, we aim to connect Japan, as a key market country, with production landscapes across Taiwan, South Korea, and beyond that supply seafood to Japan, and to work together toward a sustainable and equitable seafood system.” — Wakao Hanaoka, President & CEO, Seafood Legacy Inc.
Additional Resources