An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change

Researchers and policymakers increasingly recognize the contribution of aquatic food systems, such as fisheries, to food security and nutrition. Yet governing fisheries for nutrition objectives is complicated by the multiple overlapping processes that shape availability and access to nutrients over...

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Main Authors: Abigail Bennett, Julia G Mason, Willow Battista, Christopher M Free, Jessica A Gephart, Kristin M Kleisner, Emma D Rice, Kelly F Robinson, John Virdin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Environmental Research: Food Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/add164
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author Abigail Bennett
Julia G Mason
Willow Battista
Christopher M Free
Jessica A Gephart
Kristin M Kleisner
Emma D Rice
Kelly F Robinson
John Virdin
author_facet Abigail Bennett
Julia G Mason
Willow Battista
Christopher M Free
Jessica A Gephart
Kristin M Kleisner
Emma D Rice
Kelly F Robinson
John Virdin
author_sort Abigail Bennett
collection DOAJ
description Researchers and policymakers increasingly recognize the contribution of aquatic food systems, such as fisheries, to food security and nutrition. Yet governing fisheries for nutrition objectives is complicated by the multiple overlapping processes that shape availability and access to nutrients over time, including fishing sustainability, climate change, trade dynamics, and consumer preferences. Anticipating the effect of governance interventions to sustain or enhance nutritional benefits from fisheries entails accounting for these multiple interacting influences. We develop an analytical approach to link available data on aquatic foods production, nutrition, distribution, and potential climate impacts to evaluate the nutrition implications of fishery management and post-harvest allocation interventions. We demonstrate this approach using national and publicly available datasets for five case study countries: Peru, Chile, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. As examples, we evaluate the potential to enhance domestic supply of key nutrients to nutritionally-vulnerable populations by (a) dynamically adjusting fishing effort in response to climate impacts on fish stocks, and (b) retaining aquatic foods currently diverted via trade or foreign fishing. The results indicate substantial differences across countries in terms of anticipated climate change effects, with potential for substantially increased nutrition yield in Chile and Peru under adaptive management, vs more modest yield increases in Indonesia. The impacts of post-harvest allocation policies related to foreign fishing, exports, fishing sector, and subnational trade also vary, with exports weighing heavily on nutrient availability in Sierra Leone. This methodological approach represents a step toward operationalizing calls to manage fisheries as part of national food and nutrient supplies, in light of climate change risks.
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spelling doaj-art-dda762bc0b7145f38124faf144fe7be62025-08-20T03:50:40ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Food Systems2976-601X2025-01-012303500310.1088/2976-601X/add164An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate changeAbigail Bennett0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9356-8014Julia G Mason1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8828-353XWillow Battista2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2616-2740Christopher M Free3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2557-8920Jessica A Gephart4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6836-9291Kristin M Kleisner5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6918-1546Emma D Rice6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8812-2368Kelly F Robinson7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8109-9492John Virdin8Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI, United States of AmericaEnvironmental Defense Fund , New York, NY 10010, United States of AmericaEnvironmental Defense Fund , New York, NY 10010, United States of America; Washington Maritime Blue , Seattle, WA 98119, United States of AmericaMarine Science Institute , University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of America; Bren School of Environmental Science and Management , University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States of AmericaSchool of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington , Seattle, WA, United States of AmericaEnvironmental Defense Fund , New York, NY 10010, United States of AmericaDepartment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI, United States of America; Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , Blacksburg, VA, United States of AmericaU.S. Geological Survey, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia , Athens, GA, United States of AmericaNicholas School of the Environment, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Duke University , Durham, United States of AmericaResearchers and policymakers increasingly recognize the contribution of aquatic food systems, such as fisheries, to food security and nutrition. Yet governing fisheries for nutrition objectives is complicated by the multiple overlapping processes that shape availability and access to nutrients over time, including fishing sustainability, climate change, trade dynamics, and consumer preferences. Anticipating the effect of governance interventions to sustain or enhance nutritional benefits from fisheries entails accounting for these multiple interacting influences. We develop an analytical approach to link available data on aquatic foods production, nutrition, distribution, and potential climate impacts to evaluate the nutrition implications of fishery management and post-harvest allocation interventions. We demonstrate this approach using national and publicly available datasets for five case study countries: Peru, Chile, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, and Malawi. As examples, we evaluate the potential to enhance domestic supply of key nutrients to nutritionally-vulnerable populations by (a) dynamically adjusting fishing effort in response to climate impacts on fish stocks, and (b) retaining aquatic foods currently diverted via trade or foreign fishing. The results indicate substantial differences across countries in terms of anticipated climate change effects, with potential for substantially increased nutrition yield in Chile and Peru under adaptive management, vs more modest yield increases in Indonesia. The impacts of post-harvest allocation policies related to foreign fishing, exports, fishing sector, and subnational trade also vary, with exports weighing heavily on nutrient availability in Sierra Leone. This methodological approach represents a step toward operationalizing calls to manage fisheries as part of national food and nutrient supplies, in light of climate change risks.https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/add164food systems transformationaquatic foodsfisheriesclimate resilienceclimate adaptationtrade
spellingShingle Abigail Bennett
Julia G Mason
Willow Battista
Christopher M Free
Jessica A Gephart
Kristin M Kleisner
Emma D Rice
Kelly F Robinson
John Virdin
An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
Environmental Research: Food Systems
food systems transformation
aquatic foods
fisheries
climate resilience
climate adaptation
trade
title An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
title_full An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
title_fullStr An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
title_full_unstemmed An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
title_short An analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition-sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
title_sort analytical approach to explore prospects and limits of nutrition sensitive fisheries governance under climate change
topic food systems transformation
aquatic foods
fisheries
climate resilience
climate adaptation
trade
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2976-601X/add164
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