New landmark assessment finds fish, shellfish and algae offer untapped potential for global development if the right policies and investments are put in place.
An unprecedented review of the aquatic foods sector has uncovered how fisheries and aquaculture can play a greater role in delivering healthy diets and more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems around the world.
Five peer-reviewed papers as part of the Blue Food Assessment, an international joint initiative bringing together over 100 scientists from more than 25 institutions, highlight the opportunities to leverage the vast diversity of aquatic, or “blue”, foods in the coming decades to address malnutrition, lower the environmental footprint of the food system, and provide livelihoods.
“Blue foods are much more diverse than typically thought, and so too are the many communities of small-scale fishers who are often overlooked despite providing the majority of blue food people eat.”
Beatrice Crona, co-chair of the BFA and Deputy Science Director at the Stockholm Resilience Centre