Tag: food security

Hoi An fish market in Vietnam.

The nutritional toll of climate change on communities in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Hoi An fish market in Vietnam.

Hoi An fish market in Vietnam. Image by Jean-Marie Hullot, Flickr.


Fish populations and the humans that depend on them for food will continue to feel the brunt of warming waters from climate change.

A recent study by researchers at the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean, based at the University of Western Australia, the Changing Ocean Research Unit at the University of British Columbia and the University of Miami, shows that even with strong climate mitigation efforts, maximum catch potential is expected to fall by 58–92 per cent in the Pacific Islands and 65–86 per cent in Southeast Asia by the mid to end of the 21st century. These losses will likely result in fisheries failing to meet key micronutrient requirements in these regions’ coastal populations.

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Sea Around Us - Indian Ocean team with Harvard University's Christopher Golden, Jessica Zamborain Mason and Laura Elsler.

Advancing Sustainable Seafood Systems and Marine Conservation: Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean & Harvard University Collaboration

Sea Around Us - Indian Ocean team with Harvard University's Christopher Golden, Jessica Zamborain Mason and Laura Elsler.

Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean team with Harvard University’s Christopher Golden, Jessica Zamborain Mason and Laura Elsler.

Professor Dirk Zeller, the director of Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean, recently hosted Harvard University professor Christopher Golden and his post-doctoral researchers, Dr. Jessica Zamborain-Mason and Dr. Laura Elsler. This collaborative effort, backed by a 2023 University of Western Australia Research Collaboration Award, encompassed a week of insightful events designed to deepen joint efforts and advance research. The itinerary included a welcoming meet and greet, a master class workshop, and a public lecture.
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Protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 would barely impact fisheries

Protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 would barely impact fisheries

Protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 would barely impact fisheries

A view from the north on the Marine Protected Area of Capo Carbonara and the island of Cavoli in Sardinia, Italy. Photo by dronepicr, Flickr.

Conserving marine biodiversity, avoiding species extinction and maintaining food security from wild capture fisheries can all be achieved simultaneously if a global, non-regionalized approach to marine spatial management is undertaken by the signatories of IUCN Resolution 50, which calls for the protection of 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030.

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Treating fish as a public health asset can strengthen food security in lower income countries

Treating fish as a public health asset can strengthen food security in lower-income countries

Treating fish as a public health asset can strengthen food security in lower income countries

Fishing in Ada Foah, Ghana. Photo by jrwebbe, Flickr.

The food and nutrient security of billions of people worldwide depend on fish being treated as a domestic public health asset instead of a commodity.

A new paper by researchers with the Sea Around Us – Indian Ocean initiative at the University of Western Australia and the Sea Around Us global initiative at the University of British Columbia reviews evidence to back the urgent need to develop health- and nutrition-focused fisheries policies that drift away from current export-oriented, profit-maximizing policies.

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