1xFor many people, fish – or seafood more generally – is just one of numerous food choices. For some, it’s their primary source of protein. For others, it is their very existence. More than 800 million people in developing countries depend for their health and livelihoods on aquatic systems.[1] By 2030, there will be 8.5 billion mouths to feed – and 600 million of us are already chronically undernourished.[2]
The ocean is home to around 80% of all life and currently provides food for three billion humans.[3] It could feed six times as many (and that’s not including rivers, lakes, and manmade habitats).[4] But only if we manage aquatic food systems sustainably and fairly.
So, what can we do to ensure we reap the maximum – sustainable – benefits from aquatic food? How can we improve how it’s produced and how it’s wasted? And how do we make sure it provides food security, nutrition and livelihoods to as many people as possible?
What are aquatic food systems?
Aquatic food includes any plant or animal grown or harvested from water. It includes everything from fish and shellfish to algae and synthetic substitutes.
Aquatic food systems encompass everything needed to support and nurture aquatic food and the benefits it provides. As the World Fish Center explains:
“An aquatic food system is the complex web of all the elements and activities that relate to foods from water, along with parts of the broader economic, social, and natural environments in which they are embedded. It encompasses the steps from production all the way to consumption, as well as outcomes related to nutrition, public health, food security, social and economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability.”[5]
More than delicious
Aquatic food has numerous benefits beyond its culinary value that make it an essential, if not superior, companion to land-based agriculture in several regards:
- Plentiful. Aquatic yields are at record highs and can be ramped up considerably with sustainable management.
- Nutritious. Packed with protein and micronutrients, including omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential vitamins, and minerals, aquatic foods are typically better for you than many other readily available food sources.[6]
- Food security. In 2019, the world consumed 158 million tons of aquatic food – more than double that of beef and significantly higher than pork and poultry.[7] Around 3.3 billion people get 20% or more of their average protein intake from aquatic foods. In lower and middle-income countries, aquatic foods are often the main or sole source of protein and essential nutrients.[8]
- Supports livelihoods. Across fisheries and aquaculture, an estimated 62 million people work in primary production alone.[9] Asia accounts for the vast share of employment, followed by Africa.[10] Low-tech, coastal small-scale fisheries (SSF) produce around 40% of global catches and employ 90% of the sector – sustaining the livelihoods of nearly 500 million people in developing nations.[11]
- Good for trade and sustainable development. Aquatic food systems generated a record US $195 billion in 2022. China dominates with exports of US $22.4 billion, followed by Norway (US $15.5 billion) and Vietnam (US $11.2 billion).[12]
- Greener than agriculture. The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink, and aquatic foods release less carbon than land-based crops and livestock.[13]
Aquatic food production is at record highs
The world produces five times more aquatic food compared to six decades ago. Traditional fishing production has remained consistent for decades. Aquaculture production, however, has increased by 6.6% since 2020 and now contributes over 57% of aquatic animal products for human consumption.[14]
In the 1960s, around two-thirds of aquatic animal production was eaten by humans. Today, it’s 90%. Between 1961 and 2021, consumption rose by 483%. That’s around 3% growth per year, almost double the average world population growth rate.[15]
Evolving consumer preferences, new technology, and increased prosperity have driven this dramatic increase in consumption per capita.
And production hasn’t peaked yet. The world is projected to produce 205 million tons of aquatic animals for human use by 2032. Around 111 million tons will come from aquaculture and 94 million tons from capture fisheries. Produce for human consumption will account for 90% of production, rising from 20.7 kg in 2022 to 21.3 kg per capita in 2032.[16]
With proper management and investment in innovation, aquatic food production could produce six times more food than today – more than two-thirds of the animal protein we need to feed future generations.
What’s the problem?
Despite these impressive numbers—and in much part, because of them—aquatic food populations are declining. In 1974, 90% of stocks monitored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were considered within biologically sustainable levels. As of 2021, that fell to just 62.3%.[17] The main culprits are overfishing, changing ecosystems and waste.
How much aquatic food are we wasting?
Reducing aquatic food loss and waste is crucial for improving food system sustainability, supporting Target 12.3 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to halve per capita global food waste by 2030.[18]
It’s difficult to get a true assessment of the magnitude of waste. But it’s a lot. According to FAO estimates, in 2021, global edible aquatic food loss and waste (FLW) totaled approximately 23.8 million tons, equating to 14.8% of total aquatic food production. The largest losses occurred during processing (39%) and production of wild-capture fisheries (35%).[19]
FLW varies by region. Lower and middle-income countries lose more during post-harvest and processing due to inadequate handling practices and infrastructure, while higher-income nations lose more due to consumer behavior.
Loss and waste occur at every stage along the value chain[20], including:
- Discards at sea: Many ‘low value’ aquatic foods are thrown overboard and often die from physical trauma or susceptibility to predators shortly after.
- Aquaculture: Disease, escape, parasites, deformity, substandard conditions, and pollution all impact yield.
- At-sea processing: By-products include fish heads, tails, viscera, blood, scales, and other organic materials, which are thrown back into the sea.
- Small-scale fisheries (SSF): A 2014 estimate put post-harvest fish loss in SSFs at between 20 percent and 75 percent – mostly due to insufficient cold storage, transport, handling, and training.
- Processing on land: Whereas lower-income countries tend to purchase fish whole and fresh, higher-income countries tend to prefer fileted, canned, and ready-to-eat products, which results in more waste.
- Retail and food service: Products contaminated, or exceeding sell-by date are thrown away, caused by poor inventory management and improper handling and storage.
- Household consumption Consumers throwing away bits of products they don’t want, didn’t eat or failed to store properly. This is less of a problem in lower- and middle-income countries where people tend to use whole fish fresh.
How can we make aquatic food systems sustainable?
According to World Fish Center:
“An aquatic food system is sustainable when it ensures food security and nutrition for all in such a way that does not compromise the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations.”[21]
So, how are we doing? As per the table below, just 62% of fish resources are sustainably exploited – down from 90% in the 70s. That said, 78.9% of the biggest sources of fish in the same year were fished sustainably, which suggests proper management can a difference.[22]
According to the FAO, significant improvements are being made in the processing and use of aquatic foods, but more needs to be done to reduce waste and upscale sustainable production, chiefly[23]:
- Promote innovative technologies
- Implement circular economy solutions
- Facilitate access of producers, particularly small-scale ones, to regional and international markets
- Make aquatic foods available to all consumers
- Effective management
Is aquaculture the answer?
Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms for part or all of their life cycle. It ranges in sophistication from small-scale household operations to large multinational companies – using tanks, ponds, or net pens in open water environments.
In 2022, aquaculture production reached 94.4 million tons, exceeding capture fisheries and providing a critical source of sustenance and livelihoods for coastal and inland communities.[24] Easier to manage than wild-caught aquatic food, aquaculture delivers high yields of specific species – with significant scope to reduce loss through technology, training, and investment. However, the sector is dominated by relatively few countries, with China, India, and Indonesia leading the pack. Africa and Asia, the largest producers of aquatic food, are yet to leverage their full potential.
New research and strategies are focusing on enhancing aquaculture production while reducing aquatic food loss:
- Alternative protein sources in fish meals: such as plant-based proteins, microalgae, and insect meal, could reduce dependency on fish stocks; microalgae-based feeds have been shown to improve growth and increase antioxidant activity in cultured fish.[25]
- Training and certification: will help to minimize animal stress during harvesting and subsequent loss due to improper handling.[26]
- Selective breeding and genetic modification: can enhance disease resistance, growth rates, and other factors to generate more resilient and productive populations.[27]
- Real-time monitoring: using sensors enables early disease detection and timely interventions to contain outbreaks and minimize losses.[28]
How to tackle waste and increase yield
Aquaculture will play a vital role but won’t be enough on its own. The global aquaculture industry must adopt a whole ecosystem approach to protect environments and livelihoods while ensuring animal health and food safety. The WEF lists several interventions to mitigate FLW across aquatic food systems:
Use more by-products
By-products can be included in fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture and agricultural feeds, compost, silage, fertilizer, biofuel, and pet food.[29] For example, Icelandic cod producers have increased their yield by up to 20% over the past two decades by using parts like the head, bones, skin, and intestines.[30] By-products also have a growing number of potential applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, biomedicine, cosmetics, and biodegradable materials.[31]
Keep it cool
Efficient transport and especially temperature control are critical to avoid food perishing – a significant problem in longer supply chains and lower-income areas. Solar-powered freezers offer a relatively affordable way to keep fish cool from catch to market. In high-income countries, large-scale fisheries can equip vessels with blast freezers to quickly freeze catches and prevent spoilage due to bacterial growth, oxidation, and enzymatic reactions.
Integrate emerging tech
AI, big data analytics, blockchain, and 3D printing are helping to improve transparency and traceability, improve market trend predictability, address supply chain inefficiencies, optimize production processes, and enable automated, custom packaging methods.
AI and big data analytics, in particular, can help to optimize feed and disease management and reduce mortality to increase yields. AI is also improving product distribution by optimizing supply chain logistics and demand forecasting, reducing unnecessary transport and losses from poor sales.
Encourage consumers to eat more of the catch
Promoting alternative, underused products can help to reduce demand from wasteful ones – often using cuisines from different cultures to inspire consumers. For example, canning has minimal loss compared to filets. Spain is the European leader in canned food, producing more than 343,000 tons of product weight valued at €1,500 million.[32] US canned fish sales, meanwhile, have increased from US$ 2.3 billion in 2018 to over US$ 2.7 billion in 2023.[33] Likewise, fish collars (known as Kama in Asia) have begun to gain traction in Western markets – a nutritious way to ensure consumers eat more of the whole product and reduce waste.[34]
Level up skills
Improved handling, processing, storage, and transport will help to ensure more high-quality foods reach the table. The FAO has developed an online course, best practice handbooks, and assessment methods to help reduce waste across the supply chain. Training promotes sustainability, more investment in technology, and, ultimately, higher margins. Raising awareness amongst consumers about proper handling, storage, and meal planning will also help to reduce waste.
Collaborate
Coordinated global action across multiple sectors will yield more effective results and economies of scale. Champions 12.3 is a pan-industry coalition towards achieving SDG target 12.3 – halving global food waste and significantly reducing food loss by 2030.
The Ocean Cluster network, led by Iceland, promotes the 100% Fish Initiative. The Namibia Ocean Cluster, a recent addition to this network, brings together Namibian seafood stakeholders to maximize post-harvest loss use. Retailers and technology startups are using mobile technology and digital supply chain data to redirect surplus, near-expiry, or misshapen food to consumers and charities, reducing waste.
The WEF calls for more industry stakeholders to establish effective measurement, reporting, and targets across the supply chain to lower operational costs and reduce waste.[35] Gear manufacturers should also collaborate with fishing operators to find new ways to minimize the catch and discard of undesirable species.
Tighten up policies and regulations
Most policies rely on voluntary guidelines rather than enforceable regulations. Instruments like the Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products, established by the FAO and WHO, offer valuable recommendations but lack international recognition, limiting their impact on reducing FLW.[36]
The FAO’s ‘Blue Transformation’ roadmap provides strategies to halve global food loss and waste by 2030. It sets out a vision for expanding aquatic food systems to improve nutritious and affordable diets for vulnerable populations and foster equitable growth, especially for communities reliant on fisheries and aquaculture.[37] The initiative promotes:
- Sustainable aquaculture intensification and expansion: Increase global aquaculture production by up to 40% by 2030 to meet growing food needs and provide income and employment opportunities.
- Effective fisheries management: Support the development of management systems that restore fisheries resources and ecosystems to a healthy state.
- Upgraded food chains: Implement innovative practices and technologies to reduce loss and waste, improve traceability and transparency, facilitate trade, and enhance market access
Although voluntary, such programs and standards can still influence policy-making. The Codex Code of Practice’s principles, for instance, contributed to the European Commission’s Regulation No 853/2004, setting hygiene standards for aquatic foods in the EU. This suggests that while guidelines alone are insufficient to drive change, they can spur legislative advancements when backed by momentum.
Specific regulation for FLW lags behind agricultural sectors. Policymakers must focus on collaboration, data collection, and consumer education to create evidence-based policies that incentivize reduced FLW without stifling business.
NGOs play a role in raising consumer awareness and promoting whole fish use, reflecting sustainable practices from various cultures. The growing recognition of aquatic food systems in international forums, such as the UN Food Systems Summit and climate change negotiations, underscores their increasing importance.
Take the plunge
Aquatic food is the most fortuitous food source we have. Plentiful, nutritious and easily available, it meets essential calorific and protein needs, improves health, lifts people out of poverty, and supports sustainable growth. Through increased awareness, coordinated effort, and continued technological innovation, we can secure this bountiful, vital resource for future generations.
[1] https://worldfishcenter.org/research/aquatic-food-systems
[2] https://populationmatters.org/news/2024/07/the-road-to-10-billion-world-population-projections-2024/
[3] https://www.un.org/sw/node/51825
[4] https://oceanpanel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Future-of-Food-from-the-Sea.pdf
[6] Lund, E. K., “Health benefits of seafood; Is it just the fatty acids?”, Food Chemistry, vol. 140, issue 3, 2013, pp. 413-420.
[7] Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste. World Economic Forum, 2024
[8] Stetkiewicz, S. et al., “Seafood in Food Security: A Call for Bridging the Terrestrial-Aquatic Divide,” Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, vol. 5, 2021
[9] ‘2024: The State of World Fisheries and Agriculture. Blue Transformation in Action.’ FAO
[10] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[11] https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Investigating_Global_Aquatic_Food_Loss_and_Waste_2024.pdf
[12] ‘2024: The State of World Fisheries and Agriculture. Blue Transformation in Action.’ FAO
[13] https://worldfishcenter.org/research/aquatic-food-systems
[14] ‘2024: The State of World Fisheries and Agriculture. Blue Transformation in Action.’ FAO
[15] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[16] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[17] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[18] https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
[19] Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste. World Economic Forum, 2024
[20] “FAO Terminology Portal”, FAO
[22] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[23] https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/7493258e-e420-4840-a95d-cfec8833219d/content
[24] https://www.fao.org/interactive/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture/en/
[25] Aragão, C. et al., “Alternative Proteins for Fish Diets: Implications beyond Growth,” Animals, vol. 12, issue 9, 2022
[26] “Fisheries and Aquaculture Techniques – Certificate,” Bellingham Technical College
[27] Muir, W.M., “The threats and benefits of GM fish”, EMBO Reports, vol 5, 2004, pp. 654-659
[28] Bohara, K., P. Joshi, K.P. Acharya and G. Ramena, “Emerging technologies revolutionising disease diagnosis and monitoring in aquatic animal health”, Reviews in Aquaculture, 2023
[29] “Fish Waste Production in the UK – The Quantities Produced and Opportunities for Better Utilisation”, Seafish, 2000
[30] Zimet, S. “Icelanders Turn $12 Cod into $3,500 Worth of Products”, Human Progress, 2018
[31] Marti-Quijal, F. J. et al., “Fermentation in fish and by-products processing: an overview of current research and future prospects”, Current Opinion in Food Science, vol. 31, 2020, pp. 9-16
[32] https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/fishery-information/resource-detail/en/c/338172
[33] Miller, J., “Will 2024 be the year of the tinned fish? – Responsible Seafood Advocate”, Global Seafood Alliance, 2 January 2024
[34] Okamoto, K., “For the Most Succulent Fish, Cook the Collar”, Epicurious, 3 February 2021
[35] Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste. World Economic Forum, 2024
[36] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240013179
[37] https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/2f12c8a2-fc0a-4569-bb97-6b5dbf5b6fbe/content
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