Evidence, New Methods, Curricula, Updated Policy & Practices.
Founded in 2012 in Honolulu, we assist clients in business and government to build new governance capacity in workplaces, regional policy, food production, and the market.
Our clients are diverse but share the objective of building governance on the world’s oceans and inside supply chains. They include ASEAN, UN-FAO, IOM and USDOL. We find the real world conditions in real time with rigorous independent research published in Nature, Science Advances, Science, PloS One, Marine Policy and featured often by media (Financial Times, AP, Washington Post, NPR).
Here is an example of our stewardship in the global seafood sector:
2025-26: We assisted ASEAN to develop a fishing labour policy and prepared practical workplace tools, like a Crew Rights Handbook and Vessel Owner Code of Conduct for the Hawaii Tuna Fleet and 2 Fishery Improvement Projects. Results: Labor oversight for SE Asian fishers. Stronger working relationships in Hawaii. Lower mortality for sea birds, turtles, sharks.
2022-2026: We researched conditions in tuna and shrimp production by building a database of 3327 tuna vessels and interviewing 500 shrimp workers and producers. Results: Our tuna findings in Nature were featured by the Financial Times and Re:Structure Lab. Our shrimp findings were featured by Associated Press, all major US networks, news outlets across Asia and dialogues with governments.
2015-2024: We built labour oversight by training (1) 80 seafood suppliers in 14 countries, (2) inspectors at 4 ports in Indonesia and the Philippines, and (3) employers in Thailand and Indonesia and by drafting global guidelines for fisheries & aquaculture for UN-FAO. Results: The curricula we developed were taken up into private and public sector mandates and port protocols and led to human trafficking rescues.
2013-16: We developed detection methods with Thai Labour Rights Promotion Network that we published in Science Advances and used to screen >500 supply chains. Results: We won the Partnership for Freedom grand prize for Labor Safe Screen and introduced Human Rights Due Diligence to the seafood industry
2011-14: We estimated the magnitude of illegal content in US seafood imports worldwide finding 20-32% on average and 70% in Thai tuna. Results: USA struck a Presidential Task Force and began monitoring imports, citing our work 44x.
About Us
We develop research and tools like the Labour Safe Screen and Live the Code that are highly cited and widely used. The Sustainability Incubator is a project-based firm. Projects are localized to address real world problems in their setting in real time and accordingly are staffed by resident authorities.
Leadership is provided by founder Dr. Katrina Nakamura, a rural planner, former seafood restaurateur and highly cited interdisciplinary scientist. Katrina is consulted frequently by the Financial Times (1,2), Associated Press (1,2), Washington Post, NPR, and seafood media. Find Katrina at Food Market on Substack.
Resources to Share
- Curricula for Port Inspectors to Detect Forced Labour & Respond:
- International Organization for Migration-Training-Manual-for-Fishing-and-Seafood-Enterprises_Thailand,
- IOM-Training-Manual-for-Fishing-and-Seafood-Enterprises-Indonesia,
- SAFE-Seas-Training-Manual-for-Port-Inspectors-Philippines.
- SAFE-Seas-Training-Manual-for-Port-Inspectors_Indonesia.
- Recent Publications:
- Is tuna ecolabeling causing fishers more harm than good? Nature
- A Practical Take on the Duty to Uphold Rights in the Seafood Workplace. Marine Policy.
- Seeing Slavery in Seafood Supply Chains. Science Advances.
- Committing to Socially Responsible Seafood, Science.
- Social equity is key to sustainable ocean governance. Nature.
- The role of human rights in implementing socially responsible seafood. PloS One.
- Committing to socially responsible seafood. Science.
- Estimates of illegal and unreported fish in seafood imports to the USA Marine Policy.
- Op/Ed: The numbers tell the story when it comes to forced labor in seafood. Seafood Source Media.
- Performance of regional fisheries management organizations: ecosystem‐based governance of bycatch and discards, Fish and Fisheries.
- Improvements to Rapfish: a rapid evaluation technique for fisheries integrating ecological and human dimensions. Journal of Fish Biology.
- Sea turtle bycatch to fish catch ratios for differentiating Hawaii longline-caught seafood products. Marine Policy.
Contact us at the.sustainability.incubator@gmail.com. Mahalo.