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

Golden, C. D. et al. Aquatic foods for nourishing nations. Nature 598, 315–320 (2021).
Gephart, J. A. et al. Environmental performance of blue foods. Nature 597, 360–365 (2021).
Continuous Update Project Expert Report 2018. Meat, Fish and Dairy Products and the Risk of Cancer (World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, 2018).
Cisneros-Montemayor, A. M., Pauly, D., Weatherdon, L. V. & Ota, Y. A global estimate of seafood consumption by coastal Indigenous peoples. PLoS ONE 11, e0166681 (2016).
Halpern, B. S. et al. Opinion: Putting all foods on the same table: achieving sustainable food systems requires full accounting. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 18152–18156 (2019).
Bennett, A. et al. Recognize fish as food in policy discourse and development funding. Ambio 50, 981–989 (2021).
Béné, C. et al. Feeding 9 billion by 2050 – putting fish back on the menu. Food Secur. 7, 261–274 (2015).
Koehn, J. Z., Allison, E. H., Golden, C. D. & Hilborn, R. The role of seafood in sustainable diets. Environ. Res. Lett. 17, 035003 (2022).
Tlusty, M. F. et al. Reframing the sustainable seafood narrative. Glob. Environ. Change 59, 101991 (2019).
Naylor, R. L. et al. Blue food demand across geographic and temporal scales. Nat. Commun. 12, 5413 (2021).
Farmery, A. K. et al. Blind spots in visions of a ‘blue economy’ could undermine the ocean’s contribution to eliminating hunger and malnutrition. One Earth 4, 28–38 (2021).
Koehn, J. Z. et al. Fishing for health: do the world’s national policies for fisheries and aquaculture align with those for nutrition? Fish Fish. https://doi.org/10.1111/FAF.12603 (2021).
Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global Capture Production 1950–2019 (FishstatJ) https://www.fao.org/fishery/en/statistics (FAO, 2021).
Short, R. E. et al. Harnessing the diversity of small-scale actors is key to the future of aquatic food systems. Nat. Food 2, 733–741 (2021).
Teh, L. C. L. & Sumaila, U. R. Contribution of marine fisheries to worldwide employment. Fish Fish. 14, 77–88 (2013).
Loring, P. A. et al. in Transdisciplinarity for Small-Scale Fisheries Governance: Analysis and Practice (eds Chuenpagdee, R. & Jentoft, S.) 55–73 (Springer, 2019).
Hicks, C. C. et al. Rights and representation support justice across aquatic food systems. Nat. Food 3, 851–861 (2022).
Troell, M. et al. Does aquaculture add resilience to the global food system? Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 13257–13263 (2014).
Ferguson, C. E. et al. Local practices and production confer resilience to rural Pacific food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mar. Policy 137, 104954 (2022).
Tigchelaar, M. et al. Compound climate risks threaten aquatic food system benefits. Nat. Food 2, 673–682 (2021).
Nutrition and Food Systems. A Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security (Food and Agricultural Organization, 2017).
von Braun, J., Afsana, K., Fresco, L. O. & Hassan, M. Food systems: seven priorities to end hunger and protect the planet. Nature 597, 28–30 (2021).
Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015).
Sumaila, U. R. & Tai, T. C. End overfishing and increase the resilience of the ocean to climate change. Front. Mar. Sci. 7, 523 (2020).
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020. Sustainability in Action (FAO, 2020).
Thilsted, S. H. et al. Sustaining healthy diets: the role of capture fisheries and aquaculture for improving nutrition in the post-2015 era. Food Policy 61, 126–131 (2016).
Roos, N., Wahab, M. A., Chamnan, C. & Thilsted, S. H. The role of fish in food-based strategies to combat vitamin A and mineral deficiencies in developing countries. J. Nutr. 137, 1106–1109 (2007).
Starling, P., Charlton, K., McMahon, A. T. & Lucas, C. Fish intake during pregnancy and foetal neurodevelopment—a systematic review of the evidence. Nutrients 7, 2001–2014 (2015).
Byrd, K. A., Pincus, L., Pasqualino, M. M., Muzofa, F. & Cole, S. M. Dried small fish provide nutrient densities important for the first 1000 days. Matern. Child Nutr. 17, e13192 (2021).
Starling, P., Charlton, K., McMahon, A. T. & Lucas, C. Fish intake during pregnancy and foetal neurodevelopment—a systematic review of the evidence. Nutrients 7, 2001–2014 (2015).
Willett, W. et al. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet 393, 447–492 (2019).
Wolk, A. Potential health hazards of eating red meat. J. Intern. Med. 281, 106–122 (2017).
Richi, E. B. et al. Health risks associated with meat consumption: a review of epidemiological studies. Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res. 85, 70–78 (2015).
Popkin, B. M. & Gordon-Larsen, P. The nutrition transition: worldwide obesity dynamics and their determinants. Int. J. Obes. 28, S2–S9 (2004).
Zeng, L. et al. Trends in processed meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, and fish consumption in the United States, 1999–2016. J. Acad. Nutr. Diet. 119, 1085–1098 (2019).
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2012-2021 (OECD, accessed 31 August 2021); https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=HIGH_AGLINK_2012.
World Development Indicators https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?source=world-development-indicators (The World Bank, 2012).
Manson, J. E. et al. Marine n−3 fatty acids and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 380, 23–32 (2019).
Miller, V. et al. Evaluation of the quality of evidence of the association of foods and nutrients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes: a systematic review. JAMA Netw. Open 5, e2146705(2022).
Abdelhamid, A. S. et al. Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 11, CD003177 (2018).
Guasch-Ferré, M. et al. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of red meat consumption in comparison with various comparison diets on cardiovascular risk factors. Circulation 139, 1828–1845 (2019).
Moberg, E. et al. Combined innovations in public policy, the private sector and culture can drive sustainability transitions in food systems. Nat. Food 2, 282–290 (2021).
Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science 360, 987–992 (2018).
Parker, R. W. R. et al. Fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions of world fisheries. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0117-x (2018).
Ainsworth, R., Cowx, I. G. & Funge-Smith, S. A review of major river basins and large lakes relevant to inland fisheries. FAO Fish. Aquac. Circ. https://doi.org/10.4060/CB2827EN (2021).
Hilborn, R., Banobi, J., Hall, S. J., Pucylowski, T. & Walsworth, T. E. The environmental cost of animal source foods. Front. Ecol. Environ. 16, 329–335 (2018).
Myers, R. A. & Worm, B. Rapid worldwide depletion of predatory fish communities. Nature 423, 280–283 (2003).
Pérez Roda, M. A. et al. A Third Assessment of Global Marine Fisheries Discards (FAO, 2019).
Robinson, J. P. W. et al. Managing fisheries for maximum nutrient yield. Fish Fish. https://doi.org/10.1111/FAF.12649 (2022).
Naylor, R. L. et al. A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture. Nature 591, 551–563 (2021).
Henriksson, P. G. et al. Interventions for improving the productivity and environmental performance of global aquaculture for future food security. One Earth 4, 1220–1232 (2021).
Hamilton-Hart, N. & Stringer, C. Upgrading and exploitation in the fishing industry: contributions of value chain analysis. Mar. Policy 63, 166–171 (2016).
Weeratunge, N. et al. Small-scale fisheries through the wellbeing lens. Fish Fish. 15, 255–279 (2014).
Clapp, J. The problem with growing corporate concentration and power in the global food system. Nat. Food 2, 404–408 (2021).
Hanich, Q. et al. Small-scale fisheries under climate change in the Pacific Islands region. Mar. Policy 88, 279–284 (2018).
Selig, E. R. et al. Mapping global human dependence on marine ecosystems. Conserv. Lett. 12, e12617 (2019).
Gephart, J. A., Deutsch, L., Pace, M. L., Troell, M. & Seekell, D. A. Shocks to fish production: identification, trends, and consequences. Glob. Environ. Change 42, 24–32 (2017).
Allison, E. H., Béné, C. & Andrew, N. L. in Small-Scale Fisheries Management: Frameworks and Approaches for the Developing World (eds Pomeroy, R. & Andrew, N. L.) 206–238 (CABI, 2011).
Leslie, P. & McCabe, J. T. Response diversity and resilience in social-ecological systems. Curr. Anthropol. 54, 114–143 (2013).
Ota, Y., Allison, E. H. & Fabinyi, M. Evolving the narrative for protecting a rapidly changing ocean, post-COVID-19. Aquat. Conserv. Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 31, 1925–1926 (2021).
Hulme, M. One Earth, many futures, no destination. One Earth 2, 309–311 (2020).
Song, A. M. & Soliman, A. Situating human rights in the context of fishing rights – contributions and contradictions. Mar. Policy 103, 19–26 (2019).
Herforth, A. et al. Cost and Affordability of Healthy Diets across and within Countries: Background Paper for the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 FAO Agricultural Development Economics Technical Study 309369 (FAO, 2020).
Imagine a world without hunger, then make it happen with systems thinking. Nature 577, 293–294 (2020).
Herrero, M. et al. Articulating the effect of food systems innovation on the Sustainable Development Goals. Lancet Planet. Heal. 5, e50–e62 (2021).
Tezzo, X., Bush, S. R., Oosterveer, P. & Belton, B. Food system perspective on fisheries and aquaculture development in Asia. Agric. Human Values 38, 73–90 (2021).
Clark, M. A., Springmann, M., Hill, J. & Tilman, D. Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 23357–23362 (2019).
Dubois, P., Griffith, R. & Nevo, A. Do prices and attributes explain international differences in food purchases. Am. Econ. Rev. 104, 832–867 (2014).
Blake, C. E. et al. Elaborating the science of food choice for rapidly changing food systems in low-and middle-income countries. Glob. Food Sec. 28, 100503 (2021).
Dey, M. M. et al. Demand for fish in Asia: a cross-country analysis. Aust. J. Agric. Resour. Econ. 52, 321–338 (2008).
Gallet, C. The demand for fish: a meta-analysis of the own-price elasticity. Aquac. Econ. Manag. 13, 235–245 (2009).
Springmann, M. et al. Health and nutritional aspects of sustainable diet strategies and their association with environmental impacts: a global modelling analysis with country-level detail. Lancet Planet. Heal. 2, E451–E461 (2018).
Ryckman, T., Beal, T., Nordhagen, S., Chimanya, K. & Matji, J. Affordability of nutritious foods for complementary feeding in Eastern and Southern Africa. Nutr. Rev. 79, 35–51 (2021).
Ryckman, T., Beal, T., Nordhagen, S., Murira, Z. & Torlesse, H. Affordability of nutritious foods for complementary feeding in South Asia. Nutr. Rev. 79, 52–68 (2021).
Belton, B., Reardon, T. & Zilberman, D. Sustainable commoditization of seafood. Nat. Sustain. 3, 677–684 (2020).
van Putten, I. et al. Fresh eyes on an old issue: demand-side barriers to a discard problem. Fish. Res. 209, 14–23 (2019).
Koehn, J., Quinn, E. L., Otten, J. J., Allison, E. H. & Anderson, C. M. Making seafood accessible to low-income and nutritionally vulnerable populations on the U.S. West Coast. J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev. 10, 171–189 (2020).
Röös, E. et al. Policy Options for Sustainable Food Consumption: Review and Recommendations for Sweden (Mistra Sustainable Consumption Project, 2021).
Fesenfeld, L. P., Wicki, M., Sun, Y. & Bernauer, T. Policy packaging can make food system transformation feasible. Nat. Food 1, 173–182 (2020).
Farmery, A. K. et al. Food for all: designing sustainable and secure future seafood systems. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 32, 101–121 (2021).
Springmann, M. et al. The healthiness and sustainability of national and global food based dietary guidelines: modelling study. Br. Med. J. 370, m2322 (2020).
Bogard, J. R. et al. Higher fish but lower micronutrient intakes: temporal changes in fish consumption from capture fisheries and aquaculture in Bangladesh. PLoS ONE 12, e0175098 (2017).
Allison, E. H. et al. Rights-based fisheries governance: from fishing rights to human rights. Fish Fish. 13, 14–29 (2012).
Cole, S. M. et al. Gender accommodative versus transformative approaches: a comparative assessment within a post-harvest fish loss reduction intervention. Gend. Technol. Dev. 24, 48–65 (2020).
Golden, C. D. et al. Nutrition: fall in fish catch threatens human health. Nature 534, 317–320 (2016).
Lam, V. W. Y. et al. Climate change, tropical fisheries and prospects for sustainable development. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 1, 440–454 (2020).
Heltberg, R., Siegel, P. B. & Jorgensen, S. L. Addressing human vulnerability to climate change: toward a ‘no-regrets’ approach. Glob. Environ. Change 19, 89–99 (2009).
Clarke, T. M. et al. Climate change impacts on living marine resources in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Divers. Distrib. 27, 65–81 (2021).
Cheung, W. W. L., Jones, M. C., Reygondeau, G. & Frölicher, T. L. Opportunities for climate-risk reduction through effective fisheries management. Glob. Change Biol. 24, 5149–5163 (2018).
Oyinlola, M. A. et al. Projecting global mariculture production and adaptation pathways under climate change. Glob. Change Biol. 28, 1315–1331 (2022).
Gephart, J. A. et al. Scenarios for global aquaculture and its role in human nutrition. Rev. Fish. Sci. Aquac. 29, 122–138 (2020).
Hua, K. et al. The future of aquatic protein: implications for protein sources in aquaculture diets. One Earth 1, 316–329 (2019).
Shepon, A. et al. Sustainable optimization of global aquatic omega-3 supply chain could substantially narrow the nutrient gap. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 181, 106260 (2022).
Sprague, M., Dick, J. R. & Tocher, D. R. Impact of sustainable feeds on omega-3 long-chain fatty acid levels in farmed Atlantic salmon, 2006–2015. Sci. Rep. 6, 21892 (2016).
Béné, C., Hersoug, B. & Allison, E. H. Not by rent alone: analysing the pro-poor functions of small-scale fisheries in developing countries. Dev. Policy Rev. 28, 325–358 (2010).
Hicks, C. C. et al. Harnessing global fisheries to tackle micronutrient deficiencies. Nature 574, 95–98 (2019).
Cohen, P. J. et al. Securing a just space for small-scale fisheries in the blue economy. Front. Mar. Sci. 6, 171 (2019).
Kent, G. Fish Trade, Food Security and the Human Right to Adequate Food (FAO, 2003).
Stoll, J. S., Crona, B. I., Fabinyi, M. & Farr, E. R. Seafood trade routes for lobster obscure teleconnected vulnerabilities. Front. Mar. Sci. 5, 239 (2018).
Mamun, A. A. et al. Export-driven, extensive coastal aquaculture can benefit nutritionally vulnerable people. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5, 713140 (2021).
Mccay, B. J. et al. Cooperatives, concessions, and co-management on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Mar. Policy 44, 49–59 (2014).
Kittinger, J. N. et al. Applying a jurisdictional approach to support sustainable seafood. Conserv. Sci. Pract. 3, e386 (2021).
Fakhri, M. The Right to Food in the Context of International Trade Law and Policy. Note by the Secretary, United Nations General Assembly, distributed on 22 July 2020 (UN, 2020).
Arthur, R. I. et al. Small-scale fisheries and local food systems: transformations, threats and opportunities. Fish Fish. https://doi.org/10.1111/FAF.12602 (2021).
Barange, M. et al. Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystem production in societies dependent on fisheries. Nat. Clim. Change 4, 211–216 (2014).
Belton, B. et al. COVID-19 impacts and adaptations in Asia and Africa’s aquatic food value chains. Mar. Policy 129, 104523 (2021).
van Anrooy, R. Review of the Current State of World Aquaculture Insurance (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006).
Tlusty, M. F., Hardy, R. & Cross, S. F. Limiting size of fish fillets at the center of the plate improves the sustainability of aquaculture production. Sustainability 3, 957–964 (2011).
Rihoux, B. & De Meur, G. in Configurational Comparative Methods: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Related Techniques (eds Rihoux, B. & Ragin, C. C.) 33–68 (Sage, 2009).
Rihoux, B. & Ragin, C. (eds.) Configurational Comparative Methods: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Related Techniques (Sage, 2009).
Hamby, D. M. A review of techniques for parameter sensitivity analysis of environmental models. Environ. Monit. Assess. 32, 135–154 (1994).