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Environmental performance of blue foods

Author

Listed:
  • Jessica A. Gephart

    (American University)

  • Patrik J. G. Henriksson

    (Stockholm Resilience Centre
    WorldFish
    The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

  • Robert W. R. Parker

    (Dalhousie University
    Aquaculture Stewardship Council)

  • Alon Shepon

    (Tel Aviv University
    Tel Aviv University
    Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health)

  • Kelvin D. Gorospe

    (American University)

  • Kristina Bergman

    (RISE Research Institutes of Sweden)

  • Gidon Eshel

    (Bard College)

  • Christopher D. Golden

    (Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
    Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
    Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health)

  • Benjamin S. Halpern

    (University of California
    University of California)

  • Sara Hornborg

    (RISE Research Institutes of Sweden)

  • Malin Jonell

    (Stockholm Resilience Centre
    The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
    The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

  • Marc Metian

    (Radioecology Laboratory)

  • Kathleen Mifflin

    (Dalhousie University)

  • Richard Newton

    (University of Stirling)

  • Peter Tyedmers

    (Dalhousie University)

  • Wenbo Zhang

    (Shanghai Ocean University)

  • Friederike Ziegler

    (RISE Research Institutes of Sweden)

  • Max Troell

    (Stockholm Resilience Centre
    The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Fish and other aquatic foods (blue foods) present an opportunity for more sustainable diets1,2. Yet comprehensive comparison has been limited due to sparse inclusion of blue foods in environmental impact studies3,4 relative to the vast diversity of production5. Here we provide standardized estimates of greenhouse gas, nitrogen, phosphorus, freshwater and land stressors for species groups covering nearly three quarters of global production. We find that across all blue foods, farmed bivalves and seaweeds generate the lowest stressors. Capture fisheries predominantly generate greenhouse gas emissions, with small pelagic fishes generating lower emissions than all fed aquaculture, but flatfish and crustaceans generating the highest. Among farmed finfish and crustaceans, silver and bighead carps have the lowest greenhouse gas, nitrogen and phosphorus emissions, but highest water use, while farmed salmon and trout use the least land and water. Finally, we model intervention scenarios and find improving feed conversion ratios reduces stressors across all fed groups, increasing fish yield reduces land and water use by up to half, and optimizing gears reduces capture fishery emissions by more than half for some groups. Collectively, our analysis identifies high-performing blue foods, highlights opportunities to improve environmental performance, advances data-poor environmental assessments, and informs sustainable diets.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica A. Gephart & Patrik J. G. Henriksson & Robert W. R. Parker & Alon Shepon & Kelvin D. Gorospe & Kristina Bergman & Gidon Eshel & Christopher D. Golden & Benjamin S. Halpern & Sara Hornborg & Ma, 2021. "Environmental performance of blue foods," Nature, Nature, vol. 597(7876), pages 360-365, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:597:y:2021:i:7876:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03889-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03889-2
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ling Cao & Benjamin S. Halpern & Max Troell & Rebecca Short & Cong Zeng & Ziyu Jiang & Yue Liu & Chengxuan Zou & Chunyu Liu & Shurong Liu & Xiangwei Liu & William W. L. Cheung & Richard S. Cottrell & , 2023. "Vulnerability of blue foods to human-induced environmental change," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(10), pages 1186-1198, October.
    2. Basak Topcu & Goretty M. Dias & Sadaf Mollaei, 2022. "Ten-Year Changes in Global Warming Potential of Dietary Patterns Based on Food Consumption in Ontario, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, May.
    3. Claude E. Boyd & Aaron A. McNevin & Robert P. Davis, 2022. "The contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to the global protein supply," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(3), pages 805-827, June.
    4. Feng, Jing-Chun & Sun, Liwei & Yan, Jinyue, 2023. "Carbon sequestration via shellfish farming: A potential negative emissions technology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    5. Taryn M. Garlock & Frank Asche & James L. Anderson & Håkan Eggert & Thomas M. Anderson & Bin Che & Carlos A. Chávez & Jingjie Chu & Nnaemeka Chukwuone & Madan M. Dey & Kevin Fitzsimmons & Jimely Flore, 2024. "Environmental, economic, and social sustainability in aquaculture: the aquaculture performance indicators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    6. Kangshun Zhao & Steven D. Gaines & Jorge García Molinos & Min Zhang & Jun Xu, 2024. "Effect of trade on global aquatic food consumption patterns," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Eva Polyak & Zita Breitenbach & Eszter Frank & Olivia Mate & Maria Figler & Dorottya Zsalig & Klara Simon & Mate Szijarto & Zoltan Szabo, 2023. "Food and Sustainability: Is It a Matter of Choice?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, April.
    8. Reiko Omoto & Masato Uehara & Daigo Seki & Masaru Kinjo, 2024. "Supply Chain-Based Coral Conservation: The Case of Mozuku Seaweed Farming in Onna Village, Okinawa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-23, March.
    9. Stefanie Colombo & Juan A. Manríquez-Hernández & Janet Music & Sylvain Charlebois, 2024. "Canadians’ Opinions and Preferences regarding Seafood, and the Factors That Contribute to Their Consumption and Purchasing Habits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-12, January.
    10. Gergő Gyalog & Julieth Paola Cubillos Tovar & Emese Békefi, 2022. "Freshwater Aquaculture Development in EU and Latin-America: Insight on Production Trends and Resource Endowments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Koen Deconinck & Marion Jansen & Carla Barisone, 2023. "Fast and furious: the rise of environmental impact reporting in food systems," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(4), pages 1310-1337.
    12. Malak Anshassi & Timothy G. Townsend, 2023. "The hidden economic and environmental costs of eliminating kerb-side recycling," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(8), pages 919-928, August.
    13. Jessica A. Gephart & Rahul Agrawal Bejarano & Kelvin Gorospe & Alex Godwin & Christopher D. Golden & Rosamond L. Naylor & Kirsty L. Nash & Michael L. Pace & Max Troell, 2024. "Globalization of wild capture and farmed aquatic foods," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Corporate & Rossignoli, C. & Phillips, M.J. & Cullhaj, M., 2022. "CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-Food Systems. Annual Report 2021," Monographs, The WorldFish Center, number 41014, April.
    15. Shan Huang & Stewart M. Edie & Katie S. Collins & Nicholas M. A. Crouch & Kaustuv Roy & David Jablonski, 2023. "Diversity, distribution and intrinsic extinction vulnerability of exploited marine bivalves," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    16. Heimann, Tobias & Delzeit, Ruth, 2024. "Land for fish: Quantifying the connection between the aquaculture sector and agricultural markets," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    17. Nadia Zahoor & Ali Meftah Gerged, 2021. "Relational capital, environmental knowledge integration, and environmental performance of small and medium enterprises in emerging markets," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3789-3803, December.
    18. Arianna Martini & Leonardo Aguiari & Fabrizio Capoccioni & Marco Martinoli & Riccardo Napolitano & Giacomo Pirlo & Nicolò Tonachella & Domitilla Pulcini, 2023. "Is Manila Clam Farming Environmentally Sustainable? A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Approach Applied to an Italian Ruditapes philippinarum Hatchery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-9, February.
    19. Sylvain Charlebois & Keshava Pallavi Gone & Swati Saxena & Stefanie Colombo & Bibhuti Sarker, 2024. "Assessing Consumer Implications of Reduced Salmon Supply and Environmental Impact in North America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-19, April.
    20. Naylor, Rosamond & Fang, Safari & Fanzo, Jessica, 2023. "A global view of aquaculture policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    21. Haochen Hou & Anqi Ren & Lixingbo Yu & Zhen Ma & Yun Zhang & Ying Liu, 2023. "An Environmental Impact Assessment of Largemouth Bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) Aquaculture in Hangzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-13, August.

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