What do we know about the future of aquatic foods in global agri-food systems?

Abstract

Demand for aquatic foods has been increasing rapidly due to population growth, rising incomes, and increasing appreciation for the health benefits of fish consumption (Aung et al., 2022; Naylor, Kishore, et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2022). The rapid growth of aquaculture in the past two decades has been the key contributor to meeting the increasing demand for aquatic foods.

Aquatic foods are nutrient-rich (Golden et al., 2021; Thilsted et al., 2016), generate low emissions and impacts on land and water (Gephart et al., 2021; Springmann et al., 2018; Tigchelaar et al., 2022), and contribute to the human health, wellbeing, and livelihoods of rural communities (Crona et al., 2023; Willett et al., 2019).

The latest fish foresight studies provide multifaceted insights into future scenarios of technological progress, climate change, population growth, diet transformation, urbanization, investments, and policy shifts in the fish sector and the potential for fish to provide nutrition-sensitive interventions to combating food insecurity and malnutrition at the global, regional and national levels (Bohnes et al., 2020; Chan, Tran, et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2019; Costello et al., 2020; Tran, Chan, et al., 2022; Tran, Chu, et al., 2022; Tran et al., 2023).

Further foresight studies are needed to inform policymaking and develop a deeper understanding of the role aquatic foods can play in addressing the nutritional, social, and environmental food system challenges while navigating the trade-offs of pursuing these different goals (Chan, Prager, et al., 2021; Crona et al., 2023).