Blue Food Partnerships
20x20 | Building a blue food future
Can food sourced from oceans, lakes, and rivers contribute to healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable food systems? A coalition of over 100 researchers led by Center for Ocean Solutions and Center on Food Security and the Environment set out in 2019 to answer that question and more with the Blue Food Assessment. Their scientific findings – published in eight peer-reviewed papers in Nature journals – and policy recommendations marked the first comprehensive review of the roles of aquatic or “blue” foods in global food systems.
More than 2,500 species of fish, shellfish, algae, and plants are captured or harvested for food. In addition to supporting millions of livelihoods, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors supply over 3 billion people with protein and vital nutrients. Yet movements to combat hunger and malnutrition, the biodiversity crisis, and climate change have historically prioritized agriculture and livestock and largely overlooked the critical role that blue foods play in nutrition, livelihoods, and ecosystems around the world.
The Assessment highlighted the incredible diversity of blue food species and the numerous possibilities they offer for sustainably meeting consumer demand, addressing malnutrition, and even reducing carbon emissions.
For example, some species, such as small pelagic fish, oysters, mussels, and seaweeds, were found to generate lower greenhouse gas emissions when compared to chicken. These and other blue food species across different cultural contexts can also be an affordable and sustainable source of protein, nutrients, and healthy fats to improve public health.
The Assessment found that consumer demand for blue food is expected to double by 2050. To meet this demand, governments must address pressures on blue food resources from pollution, habitat degradation, and overfishing and take action to enhance resilience to climate change.
Over the past five years, the Center for Ocean Solutions has elevated these findings and other key insights at U.N. summits on food, oceans, and climate change. At the 2022 U.N. Ocean Conference, the Center helped launch the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition, which now includes the European Union, the United States, Japan, and several other countries, to mobilize on-the-ground action, support, and funding for countries seeking to deliver on blue food benefits for nutrition, sustainability, and equity. In addition, the team founded the Blue Food Futures Program, endorsed by the U.N. Ocean Decade, to expand a global network of blue food research, scholarship, and sustainability solutions to countries across the Global South.
Through engagement with the annual U.N. climate negotiations, the Center for Ocean Solutions has fostered new partnerships with the governments of Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, Ghana, and Pacific Island States to incorporate fisheries and aquaculture into their national climate plans. In fact, all Parties to the Paris Agreement, the landmark treaty to limit global warming, can now reference new guidelines developed by the Center to leverage blue foods for climate adaptation, mitigation, and finance opportunities.
Supported by the Woods Realizing Environmental Innovation Program and Sustainability Accelerator grants, the Center is also working with the government of Indonesia and The Pacific Community to build blue food assessments that inform their development and conservation strategies.
Banner image credit: Avel Chuklanov/Unsplash
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