Wakao Hanaoka

After spending over 15 years of his youth in Southeast Asia, Wakao majored in Marine Environmental Studies and Marine Biology at a university in the USA. His illustrious journey in sustainable seafood began in the Maldives and Malaysia. In 2007, he took the helm at Greenpeace Japan, launching and leading the Sustainable Seafood Project with vision and dedication.

Upon establishing his independence in July 2015, Wakao founded Seafood Legacy in Tokyo, marking a new chapter in his mission to preserve the legacy of abundant seafood —a testament to the vital interconnections between marine ecosystems, the economy, and society. Wakao’s strategic vision involves forging robust alliances among stakeholders, including the seafood industry, financial sectors, governmental agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and media, on both national and international levels.

His dedication catalyzes a paradigm shift, positioning environmentally sustainable and socially responsible seafood as the cornerstone of the Japanese and Asian seafood markets.

* Board member, Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions
* Member, Friends of Ocean Action, World Economic Forum
* Board member, Coalition for Fisheries Transparency
* Founding Member, IUU Forum Japan
* Member, Wide Sea-Area Fisheries Coordination Committee, Fisheries Agency of Japan