Can We Have Our Fish and Eat It Too? Aquaculture’s Growing Role in Global Food Systems

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. The rapid expansion of this industry – often in jurisdictions with weak regulatory and management frameworks – has led to well documented environmental impacts from mangrove deforestation to escapes and disease transmission. This has given farmed seafood a poor reputation, especially in North American and European markets. However, farmed fish accounts for 50% of seafood consumed globally and aquaculture plays a major role in our global food system. This leaves us to question what role can and should aquaculture play in the global food system? As the aquaculture industry continues to evolve and mature, there are growing tensions beyond environmentalism, for example: industrialization versus small-scale production, fair distribution of economic benefits throughout the supply chain, and equitable access to the nutritional benefits. This talk will explore the opportunity for aquaculture to contribute to a resilient global food system, discuss trade-offs that should be considered, and present some current on-the-water projects that are working to advance aquaculture sustainability. Speaker: Ms. Jenna Stoner, Senior Aquaculture Analyst, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.

Presented via Zoom--Online Event. Center for the Blue Economy Speaker Series, Middlebury Inst. of Intl. Studies; Free, open to public, registration not required. All details on the web: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/events/can-we-have-our-fish-and-eat-it-too-aquacultures-growing-role-global-food-systems-ms-jenna

See all lectures in the series at: https://go.miis.edu/sustainability

For questions, contact Rachel C., Center for the Blue Economy, [email protected], 831-647-4183 (leave message to receive call back).