Since taking on the role of CEO at Skretting in July 2024, Bastiaan van Tilburg has quickly recognized the value of SeaBOS—not only as a collaboration between science and business, but as a platform for building long-term solutions. “Intention without impact has little meaning,” he says. “We have work to do.”
SeaBOS brings together some of the world’s largest seafood companies and leading scientists to address complex sustainability challenges, develop a more sustainable seafood industry and improve ocean health. But what convinced each of these companies to join SeaBOS? And what do they ultimately hope to achieve? We asked the CEOs from each company to share their vision and ambitions about SeaBOS and the future of their industry.
For van Tilburg, understanding these challenges is the starting point for meaningful action. “Many of the issues we face are incredibly complex. To solve them, we first need to understand them. We’re learning fast—and that learning brings a responsibility to respond.”
Skretting, a global leader in aquafeed and part of the family-owned Nutreco group, draws on a long tradition of stewardship and partnership. That perspective supports a long-term, proactive approach to sustainability. “As a family-owned business, we take a generational perspective. Responsibility and stewardship are part of our DNA.”
Science as the way forward
Within SeaBOS, Skretting is focused on integrating insights from scientific collaboration into operational frameworks and company strategy.
“We are working to bring the knowledge developed together with SeaBOS scientists into our internal frameworks—making it concrete and actionable.”
This approach includes addressing risks and opportunities in their own operations, with a particular focus on their supply chains.
“From a company perspective, our actions are very practical. We are finding and addressing issues in our supply chain where we can make improvements.”
Aquaculture as a sector, for example, once had a short-term focus that was largely operational. Now, it’s an industry with long-term vision and strategic impact for global food supply and susbtainbilty practices, van Tilburg explained.
Skretting has long experience of working across the value chain, and sees collaboration as essential for progress. Through SeaBOS, the company is helping to build a new kind of partnership between business and science.
“We are creating a unique science-business collaboration—one that helps us learn faster, act more effectively, and contribute to broader transformation.”
