The Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) has launched the first public consultation on ocean science-based targets, developed by the SBTN Ocean Hub, and led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Conservation International. Other partners who helped develop the consultation include The Nature Conservancy, FishWise, the Marine Stewardship Council, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). The consultation is open for comment on the draft technical guidance until 22 October, with a webinar scheduled on 17 September and publication planned for 2025. The SBTN said the proposal marked a critical point in the development of ocean targets, with an opportunity for the public to provide input into the multi-stakeholder process to ensure the finalised guidance for companies is as robust, clear and practical as possible. “Covering over 70% of our planet, the ocean supports global food security and livelihoods, regulates the global climate, and produces half of the oxygen we breathe … but current pressures on [its] health pose great risks to economies, communities and nature,” the SBTN said. “Integrating ocean targets into science-based targets will elevate corporate responsibility by ensuring companies address the significant environmental impacts of their ocean-related activities including industrial fishing, helping to protect and restore critical ocean ecosystems within a clear, measurable framework.” The targets will also expand the SBTN’s existing portfolio of environmental targets, which already includes land and freshwater, with biodiversity guidance integrated throughout the methods. They will focus on seafood value chains, addressing corporate impacts from both wild capture fishing and aquaculture, with a focus on avoiding and reducing overexploitation; protecting structural habitats; and reducing risks to endangered, threatened, and protected marine wildlife from fishing impacts.
