IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v598y2021i7880d10.1038_s41586-021-03917-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Aquatic foods to nourish nations

Author

Listed:
  • 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)

  • J. Zachary Koehn

    (Stanford University)

  • Alon Shepon

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

  • Simone Passarelli

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

  • Christopher M. Free

    (University of California, Santa Barbara
    University of California, Santa Barbara)

  • Daniel F. Viana

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

  • Holger Matthey

    (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO))

  • Jacob G. Eurich

    (University of California, Santa Barbara
    University of California, Santa Barbara)

  • Jessica A. Gephart

    (American University)

  • Etienne Fluet-Chouinard

    (Stanford University)

  • Elizabeth A. Nyboer

    (Carleton University)

  • Abigail J. Lynch

    (U.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center)

  • Marian Kjellevold

    (Institute of Marine Research)

  • Sabri Bromage

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

  • Pierre Charlebois

    (Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO))

  • Manuel Barange

    (Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO))

  • Stefania Vannuccini

    (Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO))

  • Ling Cao

    (Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

  • Kristin M. Kleisner

    (Environmental Defense Fund)

  • Eric B. Rimm

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

  • Goodarz Danaei

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

  • Camille DeSisto

    (Duke University)

  • Heather Kelahan

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

  • Kathryn J. Fiorella

    (Cornell University)

  • David C. Little

    (University of Stirling)

  • Edward H. Allison

    (WorldFish)

  • Jessica Fanzo

    (Johns Hopkins University)

  • Shakuntala H. Thilsted

    (WorldFish)

Abstract

Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type (‘seafood’ or ‘fish’)1–4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of aquatic foods on human nutrition. We project two plausible futures to 2030: a baseline scenario with moderate growth in aquatic animal-source food (AASF) production, and a high-production scenario with a 15-million-tonne increased supply of AASFs over the business-as-usual scenario in 2030, driven largely by investment and innovation in aquaculture production. By comparing changes in AASF consumption between the scenarios, we elucidate geographic and demographic vulnerabilities and estimate health impacts from diet-related causes. Globally, we find that a high-production scenario will decrease AASF prices by 26% and increase their consumption, thereby reducing the consumption of red and processed meats that can lead to diet-related non-communicable diseases5,6 while also preventing approximately 166 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake. This finding provides a broad evidentiary basis for policy makers and development stakeholders to capitalize on the potential of aquatic foods to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and tackle malnutrition in all its forms.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher D. Golden & J. Zachary Koehn & Alon Shepon & Simone Passarelli & Christopher M. Free & Daniel F. Viana & Holger Matthey & Jacob G. Eurich & Jessica A. Gephart & Etienne Fluet-Chouinard & E, 2021. "Aquatic foods to nourish nations," Nature, Nature, vol. 598(7880), pages 315-320, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:598:y:2021:i:7880:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03917-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03917-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03917-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41586-021-03917-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Matthew R. Smith & Samuel S. Myers, 2018. "Impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on global human nutrition," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(9), pages 834-839, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    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. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. William W. L. Cheung & Eva Maire & Muhammed A. Oyinlola & James P. W. Robinson & Nicholas A. J. Graham & Vicky W. Y. Lam & M. Aaron MacNeil & Christina C. Hicks, 2023. "Climate change exacerbates nutrient disparities from seafood," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 13(11), pages 1242-1249, November.
    6. Laura Wessels & Marian Kjellevold & Jeppe Kolding & Cyprian Odoli & Inger Aakre & Felix Reich & Johannes Pucher, 2023. "Putting small fish on the table: the underutilized potential of small indigenous fish to improve food and nutrition security in East Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(4), pages 1025-1039, August.
    7. 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.
    8. Csaba Hancz, 2022. "Application of Probiotics for Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Aquaculture: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-16, November.
    9. Heimann, Tobias & Delzeit, Ruth, 2024. "Land for fish: Quantifying the connection between the aquaculture sector and agricultural markets," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    10. 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.
    11. Naylor, Rosamond & Fang, Safari & Fanzo, Jessica, 2023. "A global view of aquaculture policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gerald Nelson & Jessica Bogard & Keith Lividini & Joanne Arsenault & Malcolm Riley & Timothy B. Sulser & Daniel Mason-D’Croz & Brendan Power & David Gustafson & Mario Herrero & Keith Wiebe & Karen Coo, 2018. "Income growth and climate change effects on global nutrition security to mid-century," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 1(12), pages 773-781, December.
    2. deCastro, M. & Rusu, L. & Arguilé-Pérez, B. & Ribeiro, A. & Costoya, X. & Carvalho, D. & Gómez-Gesteira, M., 2024. "Different approaches to analyze the impact of future climate change on the exploitation of wave energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    3. Court Victor & Florent Mc Isaac, 2019. "A Representation of the World Population Dynamics for Integrated Assessment Models," Working Papers hal-03192539, HAL.
    4. Teresa Rodríguez-Espinosa & Irene Voukkali & Ana Pérez-Gimeno & María Belén Almendro Candel & J. David Hernández-Martich & Antonis A. Zorpas & Ignacio Gómez Lucas & Jose Navarro-Pedreño, 2024. "Waste as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients for Plants and Humans: A Strategy to Reduce Hidden Hunger," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-23, August.
    5. Chris Vogliano & Jessica E. Raneri & Jane Coad & Shane Tutua & Carol Wham & Carl Lachat & Barbara Burlingame, 2021. "Dietary agrobiodiversity for improved nutrition and health outcomes within a transitioning indigenous Solomon Island food system," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(4), pages 819-847, August.
    6. Emily Injete Amondo & Emmanuel Nshakira-Rukundo & Alisher Mirzabaev, 2023. "The effect of extreme weather events on child nutrition and health," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(3), pages 571-596, June.
    7. Costoya, X. & deCastro, M. & Carvalho, D. & Gómez-Gesteira, M., 2023. "Assessing the complementarity of future hybrid wind and solar photovoltaic energy resources for North America," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    8. Panneerselvam Peramaiyan & Peter Craufurd & Virender Kumar & Lavanya P. Seelan & Andrew J. McDonald & Balwinder-Singh & Avinash Kishore & Sudhanshu Singh, 2022. "Agronomic Biofortification of Zinc in Rice for Diminishing Malnutrition in South Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-20, June.
    9. Henrik Saxe & Lorie Hamelin & Torben Hinrichsen & Henrik Wenzel, 2018. "Production of Pig Feed under Future Atmospheric CO 2 Concentrations: Changes in Crop Content and Chemical Composition, Land Use, Environmental Impact, and Socio-Economic Consequences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Asmaa Benayad & Samir Bikri & Zakia Hindi & Amina Lafram & Chaimaa Belfakira & Fatima-Zahra Yassif & Hamid El Bilali & Youssef Aboussaleh, 2024. "Transition toward Sustainability in the Moroccan Food System: Drivers, Outcomes, and Challenges," World, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-18, August.
    11. Elizabeth R. H. Moore & Matthew R. Smith & Debbie Humphries & Robert Dubrow & Samuel S. Myers, 2020. "The Mismatch between Anthropogenic CO 2 Emissions and Their Consequences for Human Zinc and Protein Sufficiency Highlights Important Environmental Justice Issues," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, February.
    12. Gloria Macassa & Ana Isabel Ribeiro & Anneli Marttila & Frida Stål & José Pedro Silva & Michelle Rydback & Mamunur Rashid & Henrique Barros, 2022. "Public Health Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation in Three Cities: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-17, August.
    13. Hertel, Thomas & Cicero Zanetti De Lima, 2020. "Climate Impacts on Agriculture: Searching for Keys under the Streetlight," GTAP Working Papers 6155, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University.
    14. Daniel Lach & Jaroslaw Polanski & Maciej Kapkowski, 2022. "CO 2 —A Crisis or Novel Functionalization Opportunity?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-20, February.
    15. Atanu Mukherjee & Emmanuel C. Omondi & Paul R. Hepperly & Rita Seidel & Wade P. Heller, 2020. "Impacts of Organic and Conventional Management on the Nutritional Level of Vegetables," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-25, October.
    16. Sugiawan, Yogi & Kurniawan, Robi & Managi, Shunsuke, 2019. "Are carbon dioxide emission reductions compatible with sustainable well-being?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 1-11.
    17. Clapp, Jennifer & Moseley, William G. & Burlingame, Barbara & Termine, Paola, 2022. "Viewpoint: The case for a six-dimensional food security framework," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    18. Chen, Qiuju & Ding, Wenjin & Sun, Hongjuan & Peng, Tongjiang, 2019. "Mineral carbonation of yellow phosphorus slag and characterization of carbonated product," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    19. Hertel, Thomas W. & de Lima, Cicero Z., 2020. "Viewpoint: Climate impacts on agriculture: Searching for keys under the streetlight," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    20. Yuan, Dongdong & Jiang, Wei & Sha, Aimin & Xiao, Jingjing & Shan, Jinhuan & Wang, Di, 2022. "Energy output and pavement performance of road thermoelectric generator system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P2), pages 22-33.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:598:y:2021:i:7880:d:10.1038_s41586-021-03917-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.