Marine fish stocks have declined globally over the past half-century, and raising awareness of sustainable fisheries and seafood consumption has become a critical issue. The Blue Seafood Guide was launched as Japan’s first sustainable seafood rating program in 2013 with limited fisheries' data. In 2018, an original science-based methodology was incorporated into the guide to balance scientific rigor against the data deficiencies inherent in common Japanese management practices, including a lack of sufficient output control and catch information. This paper aims to illustrate why and how the Blue Seafood Guide (BSG), Japan’s first sustainable seafood rating program, was developed to best suit Japan's insufficient data infrastructure to raise awareness around sustainable seafood consumption. Also, it explains how the BSG attempted to create a nexus between fishery certificates and rating programs. In 2020, new legislation and Japanese fisheries policy reforms led to the implementation of catch documentation and import control rules. As a result, the Japanese fishing industry is experiencing a revolutionary transition to a global standard for sustainable fisheries. The BSG focuses on the nexus of science and policy and seeks to establish collaboration between certification and rating programs to accomplish its mission of encouraging sustainable seafood consumption positively and protecting the oceans for generations to come. This paper also summarized BSG’s implementation activities for awareness rising in Japan. At the discussion, we summarize lessons learnt and demonstrate perspectives for those who intend to develop seafood rating programs in other countries or areas similar to Japan.

在过去的半个世纪里，全球海洋鱼类种群数量下降，提高对可持续渔业和海产品消费的认识已成为一个关键问题。蓝色海鲜指南作为日本首个可持续海鲜评级计划于 2013 年推出，渔业数据有限。2018 年，一种基于科学的原创方法被纳入指南，以平衡科学严谨性与日本常见管理实践中固有的数据缺陷，包括缺乏足够的产出控制和渔获信息。本文旨在说明为什么以及如何制定日本第一个可持续海鲜评级计划蓝色海鲜指南 (BSG)，以最适合日本不足的数据基础设施来提高人们对可持续海鲜消费的认识。还，它解释了 BSG 如何试图在渔业证书和评级计划之间建立联系。2020 年，新立法和日本渔业政策改革导致渔获记录和进口管制规则的实施。因此，日本渔业正在经历向可持续渔业全球标准的革命性转变。BSG 专注于科学和政策的关系，并寻求在认证和评级计划之间建立合作，以完成其积极鼓励可持续海产品消费和为子孙后代保护海洋的使命。本文还总结了 BSG 在日本提高意识的实施活动。在讨论中，