Fisheries and aquaculture for food and nutrition

Food security consists of several dimensions in addition to availability, including access, utilization, and stability. The ways in which aquatic foods can best contribute to these dimensions as part of the broader food system require further investigation, a gap that we will tackle through this project. Furthermore, additional dimensions of the food security concept – agency and sustainability – also require more consideration, given the widening food system inequalities and the intricate connections between ecological systems and food systems. These additional dimensions are particularly relevant to aquatic foods which are reliant on natural systems, and also play a critical role in the diets of Indigenous people, and those living in small island developing states.

In order to establish nutrition-sensitive aquaculture and fisheries policies, and to incorporate these directly into food policy and global food system dialogues and action, this research project focuses on how these sectors can best address the full range of food security dimensions. Recent research has highlighted how specific nutrients in aquatic foods can address particular nutrition deficiencies  and we are working to expand our understanding beyond nutrients to consider relationships between food consumption patterns and health outcomes. Aquatic foods are highly nutritious, but they also have significant cultural and culinary roles and requirements. Importantly, most people do not choose what aquatic foods to eat based on their nutritional composition.

We are working to identify both recommended approaches to improve food outcomes from fisheries and aquaculture as well as specific management actions to help develop and enable a food-based approach to management, that address the six pillars of food and nutrition security.