Guidance for Government Authorities to Engage in Jurisdictional Initiatives for the Seafood Sector

The document outlines the concept of seafood jurisdictional initiatives (JIs) as place-based, multistakeholder approaches that combine policy reform with market-based mechanisms to address systemic sustainability barriers. It emphasizes the pivotal role of government authorities in defining boundaries, leading policy changes, and aligning national and international conservation targets. The guide details the incentives for governments to adopt JIs, such as fulfilling UN SDGs and UNCLOS commitments, and provides practical steps for policy-makers to prioritize actions, maximize impact, and monitor progress through collaborative frameworks.

• Seafood jurisdictional initiatives (JIs) are defined as place-based efforts in key producing regions that use both policy and market-based approaches to achieve holistic improvements in seafood production at relevant ecological and political scales.
• JIs are intended to complement existing certification, ratings, and improvement (CRI) efforts by addressing systemic barriers that individual farm or fishery certifications cannot, such as cumulative environmental impacts, climate change, and regional labor rights.
• Government engagement is a mandatory and distinguishing feature of a JI; without the active role of policy-makers in defining boundaries and enforcing policies, an initiative does not meet the definition of a JI.
• Adopting JIs allows management authorities to meet international obligations and national targets, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• Credible JIs require a robust monitoring and verification framework to prevent greenwashing and ensure claims are based on objective, measurable criteria, focusing initially on structural and action claims before moving to long-term performance outcomes.
• Successful JIs rely on several key elements, including a coordinating backbone organization, alignment of geographic boundaries with decision-making authority, and meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples and local communities.

APA

Apel, A., Bradley, S., Chu, C., Cross, A., Klinger, D., Macleod, M., & Obregon, P. (2023). Guidance for Government Authorities to Engage in Jurisdictional Initiatives for the Seafood Sector. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/568/8qac4eac3a_FINAL_Guidance_GovernmentAuthorities_JurisdictionalInitiatives_for__i0k94xc.pdf

Chicago

Apel, Ashley, Stephanie Bradley, Clarus Chu, Alison Cross, Dane Klinger, Merrielle Macleod, and Pablo Obregon. Guidance for Government Authorities to Engage in Jurisdictional Initiatives for the Seafood Sector. WWF International, 2023. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/568/8qac4eac3a_FINAL_Guidance_GovernmentAuthorities_JurisdictionalInitiatives_for__i0k94xc.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{apel2023guidance, author = {Apel, Ashley and Bradley, Stephanie and Chu, Clarus and Cross, Alison and Klinger, Dane and Macleod, Merrielle and Obregon, Pablo}, title = {{Guidance for Government Authorities to Engage in Jurisdictional Initiatives for the Seafood Sector}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/568/8qac4eac3a_FINAL_Guidance_GovernmentAuthorities_JurisdictionalInitiatives_for__i0k94xc.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }