Protecting, Managing and Restoring Ocean Biodiversity through Aquaculture
By Francesca Gugino
By 2050, the agri-food system will need to produce double its current production to meet the demand due to population increase. To combat the knowledge gaps that exist and to move toward a climate smart agri-food system that focuses on people and planet, the United Nations created the Food Systems Summit. The United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) outlines five action tracks for a more sustainable food system that will benefit nature and humans. Action Track 3 focuses on shifts in food production to restore ecosystem degradation, improve biodiversity, protect existing ecosystems from the expanding food system, and manage food production to create a sustainable system. This action track calls to “boost nature-positive food production” by utilizing regenerative systems that protect and enhance biodiversity, as well as focusing on restoring natural ecosystems.
(United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021)
One of the principle focuses of this action track is marine biodiversity, as overfishing, pollution, ocean acidification, and land use change have led to the depletion of many fish stocks. In order to protect, manage and restore fish stocks and other marine life, producers must collaborate to form international policy that creates marine reserves and sanctuaries, outline and implement stricter laws for ocean fishing, and shift toward aquaculture to allow restoration of natural marine life and fish stocks. Sustainable aquaculture is one innovation that can help the UNFSS achieve Action Track 3 and move toward synergies between the other action tracks. Fish farming will be particularly important in a more climate smart and sustainable food system, if done correctly. Unfortunately many current fish farms contribute to water contamination, and utilize harmful antibiotics, aqua biocides or hormones that can have negative impacts on not only marine life but humans who consume these products.
Aquaculture currently produces over one hundred million tons of product, an estimated 120 billion fish, while it is estimated that up to 2.7 trillion fish are caught in the wild each year, proving to be problematic for maintaining marine ecosystems. Although not all sustainable, the ability to shift toward a climate smart system exists in theory and can be put into practice to continue high levels of production to meet demand without harming natural ecosystems. It is also imperative to couple this innovation with marine conservation to help promote a resilient seascape. In an article written by Wilder, Tegner and Dayton, it is stated that “more effective, no-take marine sanctuaries are essential for reviving marine population (Issues in Science and Technology)”.
Although several problems exist in current aquaculture practices, policy makers have the capacity to eradicate these issues and contribute to a collaborative marine system that promotes biodiversity by reducing depletion of fish stocks due to wild-caught fish. Stricter laws and enforcement of said regulations for aquaculture on the local, national and international scale are necessary to protect wild fish and marine life, manage already existing sustainable fisheries, promote the implementation of sustainable practices in fish farming, and restore marine biodiversity. According to the speakers from the Action Track 3 Public Forum 2020, it is essential that policy makers discuss what nature-positive means in terms of food production at current scale, and come together to discuss what is missing in order to transform knowledge into policy, calling for less talk and more action.