The ocean plays a crucial role in the global food provision

EUfishmeal welcomes the findings of a new report arguing that the world could get more than six times more food from the sea than today through better ocean management. The report has been commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and it aims to summarize the latest science in order to help “accelerate a move into a more sustainable and prosperous relationship with the ocean.” It finds that the ocean can play a unique role in the contribution to sustainable food security because seafood is highly nutritious and provides essential vitamins, minerals, long chain omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients not found in plant-source foods or other proteins.

One of the key messages from the report is that the ocean plays an important role in the global food provision and that it even has the potential to play a much more significant role through increased mariculture (i.e. aquaculture that occurs in the sea) production. In addition, it is found that the ocean could supply over six times as much food as today. That amount represents more than two-thirds of the edible meat that the FAO estimates will be needed to feed the future global population. More food from the ocean is welcomed with a new study indicating that, compared to terrestrial animal production, greenhouse gas emissions are lower per portion of protein associated with the production of large pelagic, small pelagic and salmon in mariculture.

Read the report here.