EDFish

Can we answer the questions eating at aquafeed?

Hands holding aquaculture feed

Is aquaculture sustainable? As with so many important questions, the inevitable—often infuriating—answer is, “it depends.”  

As the U.S. looks to expand into open ocean aquaculture (usually between 3 and 200 nautical miles off the coast), we have the opportunity to get things right from the start. We can create diverse local jobs, build a more climate-resilient domestic seafood supply, and, of course, minimize impacts on the climate and environment. We know that aquaculture can already be more sustainable than other forms of food production. But, we can make it even better by focusing on what remains unknown.  Read More »

Posted in Science/Research, Seafood / Comments are closed

It’s Time to Uncover the Mysteries of Blue Carbon

By Rod Fujita and Kristin Kleisner 

To mitigate climate change, sea level rise, and other environmental problems, some experts are looking to nature-based solutions. But which solutions are the most impactful when it comes to sequestering carbon? And what do we still need to learn to improve our scientific understanding of nature-based solutions?   Read More »

Posted in Climate Change, Science/Research / Comments are closed

Illuminating coastal seas: A new paradigm for ocean observing

By Christopher Cusack (EDF) and Cooper Van Vranken (Ocean Data Network)

In the early hours of October 25, 2023, Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, with peak winds of 165 mph wreaking havoc on communities in its path. Normally, people would have had a chance to prepare but just the day before, the consensus of models forecasted that Otis would remain a tropical storm. Within hours of these predictions, Otis exploded into a Category 5 storm, the most intense classification. When the skies eventually cleared, the damage stood at a staggering $16 billion, and at least 53 people had lost their lives.

Read More »

Posted in Climate Change, International, Science/Research, Seafood / Comments are closed

Fishing for a new frontier: A data-driven future

By Allison Shields (EDF), Catherine Bruger (Ocean Conservancy), and Chris McGuire (The Nature Conservancy)

From smartwatches tracking our steps to news alerts on our phones to live traffic updates while driving, data has become central to our daily lives and how we interact with the world. For fishermen traveling miles offshore in search of fish, access to timely, accurate data is essential to their businesses, livelihoods, and communities. And now, from coast to coast, from commercial fishermen to weekend anglers, the fishing community is united by a common interest: fisheries data modernization.

Read More »

Posted in Climate Change / Comments are closed

New platform seeks to prevent ocean conflict in the face of climate change

By Jacqui Vogel (EDF) and Dr. Sarah Glaser (WWF)

Oceans are under immense threat from climate change. Around the world, oceanographic changes like melting sea ice, warming waters, sea level rise and shifting fish populations make access to marine resources more uncertain and less secure.

Climate change threatens to disrupt the communities, supply chains and food systems that rely on marine systems that are now rapidly changing. An impact of climate change is conflict in the ocean, including conflict over shifting and shrinking natural resources. Fisheries conflicts have increased 20-fold over the last 40 years, and 23% of all fish stocks are expected to shift in distribution by 2030. But scientists are working on a solution.

Read More »

Posted in Climate Change, Policy, Science/Research, Seafood / Comments are closed

Putting blue food on the menu at COP28

By Karly Kelso (EDF), Dr. Michelle Tigchelaar (Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions), and Dr. Malin Jonell (Stockholm Resilience Center)

This piece was originally published in Swedish here

The last few years have wrought havoc on the food supply, particularly for the people trapped in the cycle of poverty. COVID, climate change and conflict have disrupted supply chains, curtailed harvests and increased hunger. In 2022, 735 million people went hungry.

We need to step up the pace and the financing for blue foods to protect the future of our food supply and our planet.

Read More »

Posted in International, Seafood / Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments are closed