Four ways blue foods can help achieve food system ambitions across nations.

Blue foods, sourced in aquatic environments, are important for the economies, livelihoods, nutritional security and cultures of people in many nations. They are often nutrient rich1, generate lower emissions and impacts on land and water than many terrestrial meats2, and contribute to the health3, wellbeing and livelihoods of many rural communities4. The Blue Food Assessment recently evaluated nutritional, environmental, economic and justice dimensions of blue foods globally. Here we integrate these findings and translate them into four policy objectives to help realize the contributions that blue foods can make to national food systems around the world: ensuring supplies of critical nutrients, providing healthy alternatives to terrestrial meat, reducing dietary environmental footprints and safeguarding blue food contributions to nutrition, just economies and livelihoods under a changing climate. To account for how context-specific environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects affect this contribution, we assess the relevance of each policy objective for individual countries, and examine associated co-benefits and trade-offs at national and international scales. We find that in many African and South American nations, facilitating consumption of culturally relevant blue food, especially among nutritionally vulnerable population segments, could address vitamin B12 and omega-3 deficiencies. Meanwhile, in many global North nations, cardiovascular disease rates and large greenhouse gas footprints from ruminant meat intake could be lowered through moderate consumption of seafood with low environmental impact. The analytical framework we provide also identifies countries with high future risk, for whom climate adaptation of blue food systems will be particularly important. Overall the framework helps decision makers to assess the blue food policy objectives most relevant to their geographies, and to compare and contrast the benefits and trade-offs associated with pursuing these objectives.

Enhancing cultural food security among the Syilx Okanagan adults with the reintroduction of Okanagan sockeye salmon.

For the Syilx Okanagan Nation, food sovereignty is foundational to ensuring their cultural food security and health. Salmon being a central Syilx food, the Nation has worked relentlessly since the 1990s to reintroduce Okanagan sockeye salmon into their traditional territory. This study describes the reach of this initiative and assesses its impact on Syilx households' income-related and cultural food security status. In total, 265 households participated in the study. Overall, 48.6% of participants ate Okanagan sockeye salmon during the year prior to the survey. Most participants (89.1%) reported that during the prior year their household accessed salmon from a community member or through trade (53.7%), community program (49.8%), a feast or ceremony (35.8%), or household harvest (27.2%). The number of ways that households accessed salmon was associated with a greater frequency of salmon consumption (p < 0.0001). Income-related (46.5%) and cultural (63.1%) food insecurity were prevalent. Households' access to salmon was significantly associated with cultural food security and the perceived importance of cultural food security. This study suggests Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives can increase traditional food access and consumption, thereby enhancing cultural food security. They should be supported by governments, organizations and corporations. Novelty: Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives can increase traditional food access and consumption, thereby enhancing cultural food security. Indigenous-led wild habitat restoration interventions can help reconcile past social and environmental injustices. This study was conducted on the unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan People.

Blue food demand across geographic and temporal scales.

Numerous studies have focused on the need to expand production of 'blue foods', defined as aquatic foods captured or cultivated in marine and freshwater systems, to meet rising population- and income-driven demand. Here we analyze the roles of economic, demographic, and geographic factors and preferences in shaping blue food demand, using secondary data from FAO and The World Bank, parameters from published models, and case studies at national to sub-national scales. Our results show a weak cross-sectional relationship between per capita income and consumption globally when using an aggregate fish metric. Disaggregation by fish species group reveals distinct geographic patterns; for example, high consumption of freshwater fish in China and pelagic fish in Ghana and Peru where these fish are widely available, affordable, and traditionally eaten. We project a near doubling of global fish demand by mid-century assuming continued growth in aquaculture production and constant real prices for fish. Our study concludes that nutritional and environmental consequences of rising demand will depend on substitution among fish groups and other animal source foods in national diets.

Environmental performance of blue foods.

Fish and other aquatic foods (blue foods) present an opportunity for more sustainable diets1,2. Yet comprehensive comparison has been limited due to sparse inclusion of blue foods in environmental impact studies3,4 relative to the vast diversity of production5. Here we provide standardized estimates of greenhouse gas, nitrogen, phosphorus, freshwater and land stressors for species groups covering nearly three quarters of global production. We find that across all blue foods, farmed bivalves and seaweeds generate the lowest stressors. Capture fisheries predominantly generate greenhouse gas emissions, with small pelagic fishes generating lower emissions than all fed aquaculture, but flatfish and crustaceans generating the highest. Among farmed finfish and crustaceans, silver and bighead carps have the lowest greenhouse gas, nitrogen and phosphorus emissions, but highest water use, while farmed salmon and trout use the least land and water. Finally, we model intervention scenarios and find improving feed conversion ratios reduces stressors across all fed groups, increasing fish yield reduces land and water use by up to half, and optimizing gears reduces capture fishery emissions by more than half for some groups. Collectively, our analysis identifies high-performing blue foods, highlights opportunities to improve environmental performance, advances data-poor environmental assessments, and informs sustainable diets.

Fishing for food: Values and benefits associated with coastal infrastructure.

While there is substantial literature about the socio-cultural characteristics and values associated with recreational and commercial fisheries in the U.S., studies directed at those who 'fish for food'-those who depend on consuming their catch to various degrees-are relatively sparse. Using qualitative data collected through 80 semi-structured interviews with fishers in the summer and fall of 2018 in Carteret County, North Carolina, this study aims to better understand the group of recreational fishers who consume their catch by describing social and cultural dimensions and values associated with fishing for food, examining the role of infrastructure in facilitating access to benefits associated with this activity, and considering how knowledge of existing licensing regulations surrounding subsistence license waivers affect this fishing community. Interviews conducted at free public fishing structures in the region revealed that fishers derive a variety of values and benefits from fishing at these sites, including access to recreation, nutrition, a social community, and mental health benefits, which were found to be negatively impacted by Hurricane Florence in September 2018. We also found an informal economy of sharing catch on- and off-site that extends the reach and benefits facilitated by public infrastructure to people beyond those using it directly. Overall, we call for conceptualizations of 'fishing for food' that include aspects that go beyond traditional definitions of 'subsistence' or 'recreational' fishing such as food security, access, and less obvious social and cultural motivations behind the activity. These findings are a compelling rationalization for the creation and maintenance of formal and informal fishing places locally and, by extension, in other coastal areas, given the array of benefits provided by access to these types of locations.

The future of food from the sea.

Global food demand is rising, and serious questions remain about whether supply can increase sustainably1. Land-based expansion is possible but may exacerbate climate change and biodiversity loss, and compromise the delivery of other ecosystem services2-6. As food from the sea represents only 17% of the current production of edible meat, we ask how much food we can expect the ocean to sustainably produce by 2050. Here we examine the main food-producing sectors in the ocean-wild fisheries, finfish mariculture and bivalve mariculture-to estimate 'sustainable supply curves' that account for ecological, economic, regulatory and technological constraints. We overlay these supply curves with demand scenarios to estimate future seafood production. We find that under our estimated demand shifts and supply scenarios (which account for policy reform and technology improvements), edible food from the sea could increase by 21-44 million tonnes by 2050, a 36-74% increase compared to current yields. This represents 12-25% of the estimated increase in all meat needed to feed 9.8 billion people by 2050. Increases in all three sectors are likely, but are most pronounced for mariculture. Whether these production potentials are realized sustainably will depend on factors such as policy reforms, technological innovation and the extent of future shifts in demand.

Assessment of Factors Affecting Fish Production and Marketing in Gambella Region, Ethiopia.

Fish production has been practiced since ancient Egypt and China. It has become a fast-growing agricultural sector that provides animal protein for most people globally. While China is the leading country in the world, Egypt and Nigeria stand on the top in Africa. The overall fishery production potential of Ethiopian water bodies is estimated to be 94,500 tons per year, while the actual production is 38,370 tons. Despite more water bodies and more fish diversity in the region, fish production and marketing is very low. This review is undertaken to assess the main factors affecting fish production and the marketing chain in Gambella region. Despite the known water and fish potential of the region, fish production is very low. Major factors contributing to a reduction in fish production in the region include inefficient fishing gears, poor transportation access, poor postharvest handling, low price at the landing site, and improper market place. Drying is the predominant postharvest technique and fishing methods are of a subsistence basis. All the fishing activities take place in the natural environment, and aquaculture is not yet established. Enough modern and efficient gears need to be made available. Other modern postharvest handling techniques need to be introduced to ensure a longer shelf life of fish after harvest. Infrastructures need to be constructed to access all water bodies in the region. Because the region has such water resource potential and incredible fish species diversity, the aquaculture needs to be established and popularized. Traceability needs to be adopted in the region to prevent food-borne diseases. Based on this paper, the government and other stakeholders could develop policy considering the issue of the fishery status of the region.

Shifting focus: The impacts of sustainable seafood certification.

Alongside government driven management initiatives to achieve sustainable fisheries management, there remains a role for market-based mechanisms to improve fisheries outcomes. Market-based mechanisms are intended to create positive economic incentives that improve the status and management of fisheries. Research to understand consumer demand for certified fish is central but needs to be mirrored by supply side understanding including why fisheries decide to gain or retain certification and the impact of certification on them and other stakeholders involved. We apply semi-structured interviews in seven different Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries that operate in (or from) Western Australia with the aim of better understanding fisheries sector participation in certification schemes (the supply side) and the impacts and unintended benefits and costs of certification. We find that any positive economic impacts of certification were only realised in a limited number of MSC fisheries in Western Australia, which may be explained by the fact that only a small proportion of Western Australian state-managed fisheries are sold with the MSC label and ex-vessel or consumer market price premiums are therefore mostly not obtained. Positive impacts of certification in these Western Australian fisheries are more of a social and institutional nature, for example, greater social acceptability and increased efficiency in the governance process respectively. However, opinion is divided on whether the combined non-monetary and monetary benefits outweigh the costs.

Small is beautiful, but large is certified: A comparison between fisheries the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) features in its promotional materials and MSC-certified fisheries.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sets a standard by which sustainable fisheries can be assessed and eco-certified. It is one of the oldest and most well-known fisheries certifications, and an estimated 15% of global fish catch is MSC-certified. While the MSC is increasingly recognized by decision-makers as an indicator for fishery success, it is also criticized for weak standards and overly-lenient third-party certifiers. This gap between the standard's reputation and its actual implementation could be a result of how the MSC markets and promotes its brand. Here we classify MSC-certified fisheries by gear type (i.e. active vs. passive) as well as by length of the vessels involved (i.e. large scale vs. small scale; with the division between the two occurring at 12 m in overall length). We compared the MSC-certified fisheries (until 31 December 2017) to 399 photographs the MSC used in promotional materials since 2009. Results show that fisheries involving small-scale vessels and passive gears were disproportionately represented in promotional materials: 64% of promotional photographs were of passive gears, although only 40% of MSC-certified fisheries and 17% of the overall catch were caught by passive gears from 2009-2017. Similarly, 49% of the photographs featured small-scale vessels, although just 20% of MSC-certified fisheries and 7% of the overall MSC-certified catch used small-scale vessels from 2009 to 2017. The MSC disproportionately features photographs of small-scale fisheries although the catch it certifies is overwhelmingly from industrial fisheries.

Effect of mannan oligosaccharides on the microbiota and productivity parameters of Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp under intensive cultivation in Ecuador.

The white leg Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp is of importance to the eastern Pacific fisheries and aquaculture industry but suffer from diseases such as the recently emerged early mortality syndrome. Many bacterial pathogens have been identified but the L. vannamei microbiota is still poorly known. Using a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach, this work evaluated the impact of the inclusion in the diet of mannan oligosaccharide, (MOS, 0.5% w/w), over the L. vannamei microbiota and production behavior of L. vannamei under intensive cultivation in Ecuador. The MOS supplementation lasted for 60 days, after which the shrimp in the ponds were harvested, and the production data were collected. MOS improved productivity outcomes by increasing shrimp survival by 30%. NGS revealed quantitative differences in the shrimp microbiota between MOS and control conditions. In the treatment with inclusion of dietary MOS, the predominant phylum was Actinobacteria (28%); while the control group was dominated by the phylum Proteobacteria (30%). MOS has also been linked to an increased prevalence of Lactococcus- and Verrucomicrobiaceae-like bacteria. Furthermore, under the treatment of MOS, the prevalence of potential opportunistic pathogens, like Vibrio, Aeromonas, Bergeyella and Shewanella, was negligible. This may be attributable to MOS blocking the adhesion of pathogens to the surfaces of the host tissues. Together, these findings point to the fact that the performance (survival) improvements of the dietary MOS may be linked to the impact on the microbiota, since bacterial lines with pathogenic potential towards shrimps were excluded in the gut.

Comparing importance and confidence for production and source attributes of seafood among residents and tourists in South Carolina and Florida coastal communities.

The call for environmentally sustainable seafood consumption is growing. Seafood-related behavior is often an outcome of assessing attributes of the product (e.g., taste, freshness, source). To shift consumer (i.e., tourists and residents) preferences toward environmentally sustainable products, many coastal communities of the United States (U.S.) promote production (i.e., Wild-caught, Environmentally sustainable) and source (i.e., Harvested locally, Safe from pollutants) attributes of local seafood. Even if consumers believe these production and source attributes are important, they may lack confidence in their ability to distinguish them when purchasing seafood. Expansion of sustainable coastal mariculture is recommended for food security and enhancing economic resilience of local commercial fisheries, but this newer production attribute (i.e., Farmed in marine waters) adds more complexity to consumer decision-making. Research examining the difference between importance and confidence for seafood attributes is limited. This study surveyed tourists and residents in South Carolina and Florida (U.S.) coastal communities where varying levels of tourism and commercial seafood harvest, including marine farming of shellfish, were occurring. The research measured these consumers' level of importance and confidence for production and source attributes when purchasing seafood in the coastal community. Residents rated importance and confidence higher than tourists for some attributes, but there was no difference between states for tourist or resident subgroups. Both tourists and residents rated confidence lower than importance for all attributes. An Importance-Confidence Analysis (ICA), adapted from Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA), identified attributes needing enhanced marketing and consumer education. The ICA indicated that Environmentally sustainable and Safe from pollutants were high priorities for improving confidence. The low priority rating for Farmed in marine waters was deemed misleading because improved outreach for this attribute could reduce barriers to acceptance and improve recognition.

Vulnerabilities in aquatic animal production.

The role of aquatic animals in global food and nutrition security is increasingly recognised. The global demand for fish is increasing, leading to a need to significantly increase its supply. Securing future fish supplies through sustainable production is a challenge as major resources such as fresh water and land are becoming limited worldwide. Aquaculture and capture fisheries face various threats from both human-mediated and natural environmental change, including climate change. Aquaculture systems and practices are vulnerable to such changes. Moreover, aquatic animal diseases are currently considered one of the most important constraints to sustainable global fish production. The need to increase global production, combined with climate change, may increase losses due to diseases. This paper examines key vulnerabilities, their impacts and management to achieve increased and sustainable global fish production. The authors focus on the need to apply international standards, and to develop biosecurity and capacity in aquatic animal health to improve global fish health. Research needed to underpin the development of improved detection and control of fish diseases is also discussed.

L'importance des animaux aquatiques pour la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle mondiale est désormais reconnue. La demande mondiale en aliments issus d'animaux aquatiques ne cessant d'augmenter, il est devenu impératif de renforcer significativement l'offre du secteur. La sécurisation future de cette offre grâce à la mise en place d'une production durable constitue un défi de taille en raison de la raréfaction de certaines ressources cruciales, dont l'eau douce et les terres. L'aquaculture et la pêche de capture font face à plusieurs menaces induites par les transformations tant naturelles qu'anthropiques subies par l'environnement, y compris le changement climatique. Les systèmes et les pratiques de l'aquaculture présentent des vulnérabilités à ces changements. De plus, on considère aujourd'hui que les maladies des animaux aquatiques constituent l'une des principales entraves à une production aquacole durable au niveau mondial. Les pertes dues aux maladies vont probablement augmenter par l'effet conjoint du changement climatique et de la nécessité d'accroître les quantités produites dans le monde. Les auteurs examinent les principales vulnérabilités à l'œuvre ainsi que leur impact et les manières d'y faire face en vue d'une production aquacole mondiale accrue et durable. Ils mettent l'accent sur la nécessité de se conformer aux normes internationales et de renforcer la biosécurité et les capacités du secteur de la santé des animaux aquatiques afin d'améliorer le statut sanitaire de ces animaux à l'échelle mondiale. Ils font également le point sur les travaux de recherche qu'il convient de mener afin de mettre au point de meilleures méthodes de détection et de contrôle des maladies des animaux aquatiques.

Cada vez está más clara la función de los animales acuáticos en relación con la seguridad alimentaria y nutricional del mundo. La demanda planetaria de alimentos derivados de animales acuáticos va en aumento, lo que obliga a incrementar sustancialmente el suministro. El objetivo de asegurar el abastecimiento de animales acuáticos en el futuro gracias a una producción sostenible plantea no pocas dificultades, en la medida en que recursos importantes, como el agua dulce o las tierras, empiezan a escasear en todo el mundo. La acuicultura y la pesca de captura afrontan una serie de amenazas derivadas de los cambios ambientales, ya sean de origen natural o antrópico, en particular el cambio climático. Las praxis y los sistemas acuícolas son vulnerables a esos cambios. Están además las enfermedades de los animales acuáticos, consideradas actualmente uno de los principales frenos a la producción sostenible del sector en el mundo. La necesidad de elevar la producción mundial, combinada con el cambio climático, puede acrecentar el volumen de pérdidas debidas a enfermedades. Los autores examinan las principales fragilidades del sistema, sus consecuencias y la forma de gestionarlas para lograr una producción acuícola mundial más cuantiosa y sostenible, centrándose en la necesidad de aplicar normas internacionales y de desarrollar tanto la seguridad biológica como la capacidad en materia de sanidad de los animales acuáticos para mejorar el estado de salud de estos animales a escala mundial. También se refieren a las investigaciones necesarias para fundamentar sistemas más eficaces de detección y control de las enfermedades de los animales acuáticos.

Linking Production and Consumption: The Role for Fish and Seafood in a Healthy and Sustainable Australian Diet.

Fish and seafood consumption in Australia has been growing, yet the implications of this trend across the food system, from both a health and sustainability perspective have not been fully explored. This paper aims to map out the fish and seafood food system in Australia, linking production and consumption, to articulate challenges and opportunities for enhancing the sector's contribution to future healthy and sustainable diets. We conducted a secondary analysis of publicly available datasets on fish and seafood production and consumption, triangulated and supplemented with peer-reviewed and grey literature on environmental, economic and social sustainability issues throughout the food system. A key challenge for health is the high proportion of fish and seafood consumed as discretionary food, particularly among children. Key challenges for sustainability include the narrow focus on environmental sustainability (with little consideration of the other domains), and the focus on production with little consideration for sustainability throughout post-harvest handling, processing, retail, distribution and consumption. Key opportunities for health and sustainability include the innovative use of processing and packaging technology to maximise nutritional quality; creation of markets and supply chains for a greater diversity of underutilised fish and seafood species and processing by-products; and reductions in waste and loss throughout the entire supply chain.

Estimating the influence of the network topology on the agility of food supply chains.

Several studies have shown that the performance of a supply chain is heavily influenced by the pattern of relationships among firms. This paper analyzes the structure of relationships (network topology) that leads to the highest agility of a food supply chain when sudden demand changes occur. To do this, a simulation model that represents a supply chain and specific rules to allocate orders is built. The supply chain in the model follows the specific characteristics of trade in the primary sector. The model is fitted to the conditions of a real seafood supply chain in Mexico. Agility is measured through the effect on the order fulfillment of a sudden demand shock and the recovery time of this rate to previous values. The simulation results show that the most suitable structure depends on how product is distributed among suppliers. If product is evenly shared, supply chains with homogeneous topologies are more agile than supply chains with heterogeneous topologies, but the result is the opposite if product is unevenly shared among suppliers. Other previous recommendations, such as having multiple suppliers and horizontal links, are confirmed by the simulations. These findings contribute to the general debate on which is the optimal topology for an agile supply chain.

Analysis of the supply chain and conservation status of sharks (Elasmobranchii: Superorder Selachimorpha) based on fisher knowledge.

Increasing fishing effort has caused declines in shark populations worldwide. Understanding biological and ecological characteristics of sharks is essential to effectively implement management measures, but to fully understand drivers of fishing pressure social factors must be considered through multidisciplinary and integrated approaches. The present study aimed to use fisher and trader knowledge to describe the shark catch and product supply chain in Northeastern Brazil, and evaluate perceptions regarding the regional conservation status of shark species. Non-systematic observations and structured individual interviews were conducted with experienced fishers and traders. The demand and economic value of shark fins has reportedly decreased over the last 10 years while the shark meat trade has increased slightly, including a small increase in the average price per kilogram of meat. Several threatened shark species were reportedly often captured off shore and traded at local markets. This reported and observed harvest breaches current Brazilian environmental laws. Fishing communities are aware of population declines of several shark species, but rarely take action to avoid capture of sharks. The continuing capture of sharks is mainly due to a lack of knowledge of environmental laws, lack of enforcement by responsible authorities, and difficulties encountered by fishers in finding alternative income streams. National and regional conservation measures are immediately required to reduce overfishing on shark populations in Northeastern Brazil. Social and economic improvements for poor fishing communities must also be implemented to achieve sustainable fisheries.

Emerging trends in European food, diets and food industry.

Understanding how an adequate food security may be determined, how nutritional intakes evolve over time and are influenced by global dynamics are few of the questions scholars are trying to answer. In addition, a great interest is devoted to the changes in consumers' preferences and expectations as well as to the analysis of food innovations and their impact on the global market. We review the recent and emerging trends in food supply chains of selected sectors (fruits and vegetables, meat, and seafood), and deepen on emerging trends in the food industry. By presenting the evidence provided by the literature and emphasizing the unresolved research questions, we offer a critical view of future directions that should be followed by research agenda.