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Helps Address Climate Change.
To fulfill its role as the sustainable protein source of the future, farmed fish must also play a part in building climate resilience and preparedness. Research suggests seafood has a notably lower carbon footprint than beef and pork, but beyond the choice of what to eat, there are ways to address emissions and resource use in how we grow and process. Whether it is through the product they grow or the types of transportation they choose, farmers and supply chain actors can work together to instill climate-smart practices into aquaculture.
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Supports Global Ecosystems And Coexists With Wildlife.
Farmed seafood now makes up over 50% of all seafood eaten around the world. It is a key protein source for the future and is scaling rapidly, but it comes with external costs. Whether land or marine based, fish farms must scale appropriately and safely. When farms are constructed and maintained with the surrounding wildlife and habitat in mind, they can mitigate impacts on the natural environment.
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Optimizes Impact on Water Resources and Nutrient Cycles.
In a time when ocean chemistry is changing dramatically and freshwater resources are under increasing stress, how producers use and treat water could determine not only an aquaculture farm’s viability, but our food systems and watersheds. Whether in the ocean or on land, producers can monitor water quality, eliminate waste accumulation, or capture nutrients that would otherwise leak into the environment.
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Promotes a Safe Growing Environment for a Safe Food Source.
Where a farm is placed and which inputs are added to it not only affects ecosystem health and fish welfare, but the health of the people who eat its products. Pest management, disease, and external contaminants can be managed in creative ways using new AI-based technology or supporting the natural responses of the local ecosystem and raised species.
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Advances Animal Welfare.
Just as stressing a cow before harvest generates tough flesh, so too does stressing a fish. Not only is welfare important for the final product, but it is important to the well-being and animal happiness. Approximately 100 billion aquatic animals are farmed each year in neglected, sufferable conditions. Until recently there has been little advocacy aimed at improving fish welfare. As aquaculture scales up, welfare policies and innovations must scale too because welfare must be supported. A happier fish means a healthier environment and a safer food source.
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Enhances Flavor and Nutrition.
From sugar kelp to scallops to salmon, aquatic foods are nutrient dense and a major source of protein, trace minerals, and healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Recent studies show that consuming aquatic foods can improve brain development and heart health and reduce the risk of cancer. With new innovations, knowledge sharing, and culinary imagination, chefs and producers are bringing a consistently healthy product to our tables in newly delicious ways.
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Builds Resilience and Self-Sufficiency in Local Communities.
Working waterfronts have been central to coastal communities’ culture and economy, but now face declining wild stocks, unrenewed permits, and rising sea levels. Aquaculture, in its incredible diversity of species and production methods can mobilize workers in coastal communities, leverage existing infrastructure, and benefit from the generational knowledge of fishers and farmers. When producers are embedded in their communities and create space for public collaboration and decision making, they enable bottom-up place-based solutions, economic security, and regional food sovereignty.
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Prioritizes Inclusion, Equality and Fair Treatment of Workers.
Women make up over 50% of the seafood industry workforce yet are underrepresented in leadership and ownership roles. Aquaculture can weave fair and equal labor treatment into its expanding fabric. Gender equality is just one part of the equation. Fair compensation, and racial and religious equity are also central to a holistic aquaculture system. Both producers, suppliers, and retail owners can implement policies (like non-discrimination, living wages, pay equity) and management practices (like allowing collective bargaining, hiring women and members of marginalized communities into leadership roles) to support, value, and include all workers.
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Preserves the Quality and the Story of the Product Throughout the Supply Chain.
Transparency and traceability are needed not only to guarantee the quality and safety of our foods but also relay the story of the people and place that produced them. Companies that are vertically integrated or shorten their supply chains can better track where their product goes, how it is changed, and whether their story gets told to a consumer. New technologies, alongside established industry best practices, allow partners to easily share data between steps in the supply chain. When everyone involved is aligned on how to maintain the integrity and identity of a product, seafood becomes more honest and sustainable.
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