The ocean has the potential to more than cover future food demand, taking into account the increase in the world population, however, this potential is not covered by fishing alone, but it is necessary to develop marine aquaculture to cover this demand, figures that are obtained by calculating the benefits of managing commercial stocks in a sustainable way and developing marine aquaculture in areas biologically suitable for the species that are currently cultivated. These are the main conclusions of the report The Future of Food from the Sea, prepared by twenty international scientists for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, an international panel for a sustainable economy in the oceans, formed a year ago after the UN conference on sustainability in the oceans and which includes fourteen heads of state and a delegation from the United Nations.
The report presented this week in Rome also points out that there are many challenges to achieving that potential and associated risks, and thus, in the case of fishing, it points out that catches should be regulated for sustainable yields, illegal fishing should be eliminated, and also some subsidies that encourage overfishing, while in the case of aquaculture, the report indicates that innovations are needed in species that require unnatural food, and although the environmental impact of the same is not quantified, it indicates how this development can be more sustainable.
CIM-UVigo researcher Elena Ojea is the only Spanish scientist participating in this report prepared with the contributions of around twenty international researchers, coordinated by Christopher Costello, Stephan Gelcich and Ling Cao, and which is the first study, or Blue Paper, published by the International Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. “My main work was to contribute to the report on critical points such as sustainable management measures for fisheries or threats from impacts, such as climate change”, explains the CIM-UVigo researcher from Rome, where she is participating in a symposium on sustainable fisheries that is being held at the FAO. Being the only Spanish scientist participating in the report is for Ojea “a great opportunity and responsibility”, while highlighting that an attempt has been made to make the report inclusive and representative of many realities, including the needs of countries that are very vulnerable in terms of food security.
A strategic issue for Galicia and Spain
This work, which according to Ojea aims to cover the diversity of fisheries and dependence on fishing for food in the world, is, says the researcher from Future Ocena Labs, “a very important and strategic issue for Spain and especially for Galicia, due to the social and economic importance of fishing and marine aquaculture”. The report points out that there is an opportunity to invest in a future with sustainable fishing and marine aquaculture “and we have great potential to do it well”, points out Ojea, who knew almost all the authors of the report for their work in areas such as fisheries economics, marine governance or conservation.
The researcher from the University of Vigo believes that the report will have a long history in dealing with a very worrying issue such as the UN’s sustainable development goal on zero hunger. “As it is a report commissioned by state leaders, it is expected that the impact will be great and that at least those countries will incorporate the recommendations into their policies. The panel will have to digest the recommendations of 15 other reports, in addition to this one on food from the sea, which deal with issues such as marine renewable energies, coastal planning or marine governance”, points out Elena Ojea.
The International Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is currently comprised of the presidents or prime ministers of Australia, Canada, Chile, Ghana, Fiji, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Portugal, Kenya and the Republic of Palau, and supported by a group of experts, a network of advisors and a secretariat.
