Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

Food waste helps secure future fish

• The University of Western Australia • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Human food scraps could be used to create high-quality food for farmed fish, leading to a more sustainable global fish economy, according to a team of researchers at The University of Western Australia.

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How otters, urchins and kelp help to gauge the fragility of ecosystems

• Victoria Masterson, World Economic Forum • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Scientists investigating declines in California’s kelp forests credit otters with helping to protect kelp - a species of seaweed - through their fondness for eating sea urchins.

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Farming fish in fresh water is more affordable and sustainable than in the ocean

• Ben Belton, Dave Little & Wenbo Zhang, The Conversation • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A tidal wave of interest is building in farming the seas. It’s part of a global rush to exploit oceanic resources that’s been dubbed the “blue acceleration.”

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Bluu Biosciences raises cash to become Europe’s first purveyor of lab-grown salmon, trout and carp

• Jonathan Shieber, TechCrunch • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A startup from Europe is joining the race to become the first big provider of lab-grown fish.

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Ensuring the sustainable growth of the US offshore aquaculture sector

• Megan Howell, The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Five ways to ensure the US offshore aquaculture industry is able to grow sustainably in the wake of last year’s Executive Order by President Trump are suggested in a new study.

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That Salmon on Your Plate Might Have Been a Vegetarian

• Somini Sengupta, The New York Times • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Pescatarians take note: Farmed fish are eating more veggies and less wild fish, according to new research. That’s good news for nature.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Collaborative action can secure responsible tuna fisheries

• Tom Pickerell, World Economic Forum • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Tuna is not only one of the most popular seafoods in the world, it's also a vital part of marine ecosystems. Unfortunately tuna fisheries management prioritizes short-term financial objectives over long-term sustainability.

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First-of-its kind study offers blueprint for ocean protection

• Olivia Rosane, World Economic Forum • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A first-of-its-kind study has examined the benefits of protecting the world's oceans.

The study, published in Nature on Wednesday, endorsed protecting 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030 in order to protect biodiversity, restore fisheries and combat the climate crisis.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Encouraging coastal communities to engage with seaweed aquaculture

• Rob Fletcher, The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A new guide is encouraging coastal communities to consider the the potential impacts - both positive and negative - of seaweed aquaculture sites in their local areas.

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Setting a new industry standard

• John Costantino, Manolin • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Manolin releases breakthrough progress in tracking fish health challenges, predicting PD and ISA with more than 93% accuracy.

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Trawling for Fish May Unleash as Much Carbon as Air Travel, Study Says

• Catrin Einhorn, The New York Times • Fisheries & Aquaculture

The report also found that strategically conserving some marine areas would not only safeguard imperiled species but sequester vast amounts planet-warming carbon dioxide, too.

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2021 Starting off Strong with a Traceability Focus

• Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture

As Executive Director of the Conservation Alliance and someone that has specialized in seafood traceability, I was encouraged to see several new traceability efforts being launched by members of the Alliance Global Hub community and the sustainable seafood movement in February!

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Revealed: seafood fraud happening on a vast global scale

• Stephen Leahy, The Guardian • Fisheries & Aquaculture

A Guardian Seascape analysis of 44 recent studies of more than 9,000 seafood samples from restaurants, fishmongers and supermarkets in more than 30 countries found that 36% were mislabelled, exposing seafood fraud on a vast global scale.

Read more → (6 minute read)


Handing power to fishers could lead to more sustainable fishing

• Paul J B Hart, The Conversation • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Cornish pilchard fishers are under constant pressure to make a catch and earn money. They use great skill aided by electronic fish-finding equipment to find and capture their prey. But if they are unsuccessful, it’s hard for them to cover the costs of the fishing trip or even pay wages to the crew.

Read more → (5 minute read)


6 aquatic food system innovations transforming women’s livelihoods

• Shakuntala Thilsted, World Fish Center • Fisheries & Aquaculture

WorldFish’s Global Lead for Nutrition and Public Health, Aquatic Food Systems, and Vice Chair of the 2021 UN Food System Summit Action Track 4: Advance Equitable Livelihoods, Dr. Shakuntala Thilsted, shares her experience developing nutrition-sensitive innovations that are transforming women’s lives.

Read more → (8 minute read)


One ocean: At the intersection of green energy and a blue economy

• Laura Rose, Global Aquaculture Alliance • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Oceanography study explores the relationships between offshore wind energy and fisheries industries, suggests inclusive approaches.

Read more → (6 minute read)


Seagrasses and mangroves can suck carbon from the air

• The Economist • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Along with two other kinds of coastal ecosystem—mangrove swamps and tidal marshes—seagrass meadows are particularly good at taking carbon dioxide from the air and converting it into plant matter. 

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How technology can help us achieve at least 30% ocean protection (commentary)

• Simon Cripps, Mongabay • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Securing such a vast area requires new cutting-edge technology to monitor illegal activities and movements of species. 

Read more → (5 minute read)


Why insect production may have minimal impact on aquaculture sustainability

• Rob Fletcher, The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

While the insect farming industry is likely to "come of age" this decade, its overall impact on aquaculture may be more limited.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Global freshwater fish populations at risk of extinction, study finds

• Fiona Harvey, The Guardian • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Freshwater fish are under threat, with as many as a third of global populations in danger of extinction, according to an assessment.

Read more → (3 minute read)