EDFish

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, Science/Research, Seafood / 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

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 Seafood / 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, Science/Research, Seafood / Tagged blue swimming crab, climate resilience, Indonesia, Lampung, small-scale fishery, SmartPass | Comments are closed

Prioritizing Climate Resilience in United States Fisheries

By Reggie Paros / Published: February 23, 2023

The impacts of climate change are already apparent in U. S. offshore waters, creating challenges for fisheries, fishing communities and fisheries management. Examples of climate impacts are prevalent across all regions of the coastal U.S. As ocean temperatures warm, species distributions are shifting. For instance, market squid moving up the West Coast from Baja California to Oregon spurred a harvest boom in the Pacific Northwest. Species, including blue crabs and black sea bass, are shifting northward on the Atlantic coast. Read More »

Also posted in Gulf of Mexico, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Seafood / Tagged Climate change, climate-resilient fisheries, fishery solutions center, Harvest Control Rules, US fisheries | Comments are closed

What the BBNJ negotiations could mean for the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’

By EDF Oceans / Published: January 9, 2023

By Vrinda Suresh, Julia Mason and Doug Rader

During the last two weeks of August 2022, delegates from across the globe gathered in New York City for the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference, or IGC5, to develop a new treaty to protect biodiversity in offshore waters, called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, or BBNJ Agreement. The BBNJ Agreement specifically addresses high seas waters, which include all areas more than 200 nautical miles from coastlines and fall outside the management authority of individual countries. The high seas make up nearly 60% of Earth’s oceans. Read More »

Also posted in International / Tagged Climate change, Fishery Management, twilight zone | Comments are closed

Leadership in focus — building to a more sustainable future for small-scale fisheries

By EDF Oceans / Published: June 7, 2022

By Bavidra Mohan, Director of Acumen Academy, and Jeff Young, Senior Manager, Global Capacity Development, Environmental Defense Fund

The small-scale fisheries sector is a powerful example of our interconnectedness. Small-scale fisheries employ 90% of all fishworkers globally, supplying nearly half of the world’s fish catch each year. In addition to feeding coastal communities, seafood harvested by small-scale fishers ends up on the plates of consumers from Bogotá to Beijing. Read More »

Also posted in International, Science/Research / Tagged Acumen Academy, Chile, COVID, COVID-19, Fisheries, fishing communities, Food Security, International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, IYAFA, Mexico, Overfishing, Philippines, resilience, Seafood, small-scale fisheries, sustainable fishing, World Ocean Day | Comments are closed