June 25, 2021 — The following was released by the University of New England:
The University of New England partnered with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the world’s leading conservation organization, on a ground-breaking new study that provides strong evidence that shellfish and seaweed farming are a critical component of regenerative food production.
The comprehensive study has been published in Reviews in Aquaculture at a time when much news of food production focuses on its negative impacts on the environment. Quite to the contrary, the study, titled “Habitat value of bivalve shellfish and seaweed aquaculture for fish and invertebrates: Pathways, synthesis, and next steps,” paints a bright picture of aquaculture’s potential to help satisfy food demand in harmony with ocean health.
Restorative shellfish and seaweed farming offers a sustainable method to meet the nutritional needs of the growing human population, while maintaining and improving the health of the waters, lands, and animals we live alongside. This study is among the first to demonstrate the global potential for regenerative outcomes in aquaculture systems.
“Aquaculture is among the world’s fastest-growing forms of food production and there is a growing biodiversity crisis that already exists in our ocean. It’s critical that we identify ways to develop aquaculture that benefits, rather than harms our ocean, that are based on sound science,” said Robert Jones, Global Lead for Aquaculture at The Nature Conservancy. “This study is game changing in that it clearly shows an opportunity through shellfish and seaweed aquaculture. For the first time, we’re able to put quantifiable global numbers on the benefits these farms can have on marine wildlife.”