The environmental impact of consumption of fisheries and aquaculture products in France[L’impact environnemental de la consommation de produits de la pêche et de l’aquaculture en France]

In the context of climate change, the diet is a key driver of environmental impacts. Previous research emphasized the environmental benefit to increase fisheries and aquaculture products (FAPs) consumption in European diets. However, increasing the share of FAPs could lead to a transfer of environmental damage from earth to sea. It is thus important to evaluate the environmental impacts of FAPs considering marine eco-systems and global scale. We constructed an original database to map the origin of FAPs, and we matched it with environmental indicators. The exploration of the database investigates the environmental impact of FAPs in regards of French consumption. We found some heterogeneity across species, meaning that the pattern of consumption across the FAPs does influence the environmental footprint. Furthermore, the choice of methods of production largely affects the global impact. Thus, relevant public policy could decrease the environmental impact of FAPs despite a standstill level of consumption.