The world’s population is growing, which means we’re going to need more food. In fact, the World Resource Institute says we are going to need about 70 percent more food that we do today. But how can we meet this demand and not destroy the Earth in doing so? One important answer to this lies in the sea.
Land-based food production is a significant source of carbon emissions, which means that increasing the amount of food produced on land will have detrimental effects on our planet. In addition, the 2019 International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that even if we find a way to innovate and reduce emissions, the land-based food system simply cannot support the future demand.
Seafood is an essential ingredient in our food future
The time has come to make a substantial shift towards the sea for our harvested food, chipping away at the 98 percent stronghold of land harvested food. Fish and seafood can not only feed us, they can also deliver essential nutrients required for a healthy diet, including omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as A, B12 and D.
The potential for food harvesting from the sea is immense. The High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy tells us that the ocean could potentially supply six times more food than it does today. That could equate more than two-thirds of the edible meat that will be needed to feed our future population, but without the hefty carbon footprint that harvesting meat leaves behind.
The lower carbon footprint stemming from the harvesting of ocean species is due, in part, to the composition of the aquaculture feed they consume. As farmed ocean food becomes increasingly critical to our future food security, it becomes just as essential to ensure the diets of the shrimp, salmon, seabass and other species is just as sustainable.
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