EDFish

Seaweed to Slow Down Climate Change: Ready? Or Not?

By Rod Fujita / Bio / Published: August 15, 2023

Seaweed is a hot solution for mitigating climate change. Can this carbon-absorbing powerhouse really help?

Seaweed is having a moment. I’ve been working on seaweed for 40 years, and I’ve never seen so many headlines about how seaweed can save the planet.

I can understand why. The need to save the planet is more pressing than ever. We must now dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, at the same time, increase the planet’s capacity to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere to prevent even more catastrophic impacts of global warming.

Also posted in Science/Research / Tagged Aquaculture, Blue Carbon, carbon, climate, Climate change, research, science, seaweed, seaweed farming, sustainability | Comments are closed

UN Food Systems Summit: Why we need more ambition and more action

By EDF Oceans / Published: August 3, 2023

Jose Luis Chicoma reflects on what needs to happen to create a sustainable food system.

By Jose Luis Chicoma and Karly Kelso

Last week, global leaders gathered in Rome for the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) +2 Stocktaking Moment, a follow-up event to evaluate commitments to transforming their food systems and progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) made in 2021. In short, it was a time to gather and take stock of where we are – and where we should go next.

How did it shape up?

In this interview, Jose Luis Chicoma, former Peru Minister of Production, Yale World Fellow and Senior Advisor to EDF Climate-Resilient Food Systems, who was present in Rome, shares personal reflections and his insights, concerns and hopes for the future. Food systems and ocean health go hand in hand, and reflections on aquatic blue food in concert with terrestrial food systems are key.

Also posted in Climate and Fisheries Series, International, Policy, Science/Research / Tagged Aquaculture, Climate change, climate-resilient fisheries, Fisheries, Fisheries Management, food, Food Security, Food Systems, Seafood, sustainability, Sustainable Seafood, UN Food Systems Summit | Comments are closed

EDF’s Tour of GreenWave Highlights Aquaculture’s Potential

By EDF Oceans / Published: August 1, 2023

Nonprofit GreenWave supports training and innovation in ocean farming.

By Ruth Driscoll-Lovejoy and Amy Folkerts

Ocean farmers are making a splash in the sustainable seafood market — and they don’t need state-of-the-art facilities to do it.

Thimble Island Ocean Farm in Connecticut is a commercial seaweed and shellfish farm and serves as an innovation hub for GreenWave, a nonprofit replicating and scaling regenerative aquaculture. On a recent EDF visit, our team saw first-hand how GreenWave is expanding marine aquaculture while training and supporting ocean farmers. According to GreenWave, for aquaculture to be sustainable and profitable, farmers need access to the right tools and community support.

Posted in Seafood / Tagged Aquaculture, Climate change, collaboration, Food Security, learning network, Oceans, seaweed, seaweed farming, seaweed farms, Sustainable Seafood, teaching | Comments are closed

The ocean as a climate champion: Capitol Hill Ocean Week paints the town blue

By EDF Oceans / Published: July 18, 2023

At Capitol Hill Ocean Week, EDF discussed the intersections between ocean and climate – and the potential for change.

By Lucy Vogt, EDF Seafood Policy Intern

Last month, Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW) welcomed environmental businesses, leaders, and shakers — and one brand-new intern.

CHOW investigated the intersection between the ocean and the climate by facilitating conversations about ocean opportunities. Even though the ocean covers more than 70% of the earth, produces 50% of the oxygen we need and absorbs 25% of the carbon emissions we produce, it is often perceived solely as a victim of climate change. But this massive ecosystem holds a wealth of potential climate solutions, and CHOW conversations ranged from offshore wind to maritime shipping to partnerships with coastal communities.

Also posted in Policy / Tagged Aquaculture, Blue Carbon, blue food, Capitol Hill Ocean Week, CHOW, climate solution, Fisheries, Marine Policy, Natural Climate Solutions | Comments are closed

SmartPass and Smartphones: An Innovative Approach to Small-Scale Fisheries Monitoring in Lampung Province, Indonesia

By EDF Oceans / Published: April 13, 2023

Photo credit: Wahyu Mulyono/EDF

By Harlisa and Dustin Colson Leaning

In Lampung province, Indonesia, a few smartphones and three well-placed cameras are revolutionizing the way that small-scale fisheries are monitored. In a previous blog post, we introduced how smartphone-based catch reporting and the SmartPass camera system could have the potential to play a fundamental role in sustaining small-scale fisheries. A few years later, these two technologies have been implemented to generate reliable estimates of total effort and total catch in Lampung’s blue swimming crab fishery – metrics often hard to come by in a small-scale fishery characterized by limited resources and many fishers. Read More »

Also posted in International, Policy, Science/Research / Tagged blue swimming crab, climate resilience, Indonesia, Lampung, small-scale fishery, SmartPass | Comments are closed

A framework for more agile and sustainable crustacean fisheries in Asia

By EDF Oceans / Published: February 28, 2023

By Ming Sun, Stony Brook University, and Adityo Setiawan, Environmental Defense Fund

From warming ocean waters to increased acidification and rising sea levels, it’s no wonder that fish are on the move to find suitable habitat! Climate change is creating dramatic shifts in species’ distributions and affecting their productivity. Fisheries managers who try to ensure sustainable fishing efforts find their jobs more difficult as fish are changing how and where they live. Now more than ever, managing mobile fish stocks is even more of a challenge. Read More »

Also posted in International / Tagged adaptive management, China, Climate change, crabs, crustacean fisheries, Fishery Management, Indonesia, Lobster, Philippines, Shrimp | Comments are closed