Numerous studies have focused on the need to expand production of ‘blue foods’, defined as aquatic foods captured or cultivated in marine and freshwater systems, to meet rising population- and income-driven demand. Here we analyze the roles of economic, demographic, and geographic factors and preferences in shaping blue food demand, using secondary data from FAO and The World Bank, parameters from published models, and case studies at national to sub-national scales. Our results show a weak cross-sectional relationship between per capita income and consumption globally when using an aggregate fish metric. Disaggregation by fish species group reveals distinct geographic patterns; for example, high consumption of freshwater fish in China and pelagic fish in Ghana and Peru where these fish are widely available, affordable, and traditionally eaten. We project a near doubling of global fish demand by mid-century assuming continued growth in aquaculture production and constant real prices for fish. Our study concludes that nutritional and environmental consequences of rising demand will depend on substitution among fish groups and other animal source foods in national diets.

The ocean, which regulates climate and supports vital ecosystem services, is crucial to our Earth system and livelihoods. Yet, it is threatened by anthropogenic pressures and climate change. A healthy ocean that supports a sustainable ocean economy requires adequate financing vehicles that generate, invest, align, and account for financial capital to achieve sustained ocean health and governance. However, the current finance gap is large; we identify key barriers to financing a sustainable ocean economy and suggest how to mitigate them, to incentivize the kind of public and private investments needed for topnotch science and management in support of a sustainable ocean economy.

Previous studies have shown that multiple-environmental stressors are expected to have significant and geographically differential impacts on the health and abundance of marine species. In this paper, we analyze the combined impacts of ocean warming, overfishing and mercury pollution in European waters by projecting the impacts of climatic and non-climate drivers on marine species in European waters. Our findings suggest that the impacts vary widely depending on different species and their mean temperature tolerance (MTT). We find for instance, that more than 5 temperate benthopelagic species including, bobtail squids (Sepiida) frogfishes (Lophius) great Atlantic scallop (Pecten maximus) red mullet (Mullus barbatus barbatus) and common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) are affected (i.e., weakens their resilience to climate change) by the increase in sea surface temperature (SST) under RCP 8.5 in 2050 and 2100. Mercury contamination was estimated to increase in some species (e.g., ∼50% in swordfish), exceeding mercury consumption guideline thresholds (>1 mg/kg). This negative impact may limit the capacity of fisheries and marine ecosystem to respond to the current climate induced pollution sensitivity. An implication of our study is that the international community should strengthen a global ban on mercury emissions under the mandate of the Minamata Convention, comparable to the United Nations framework for persistent organic pollutant emission sources. Ongoing global efforts aimed at minimizing carbon footprint and mercury emissions need to be enhanced in concert with a reduction in fishing intensity to maintain effective conservation measures that promote increased resilience of fisheries to climate change and other stressors.

The human attachment to plastic has intensified recently due to its lightweight, versatility, low-cost and durability and so has the damage to the marine environment as marine plastic pollution has correspondingly increased. As a result, there has been increasing concern on the issue of marine plastic pollution. Policy-based organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme have drawn public attention to the scope, magnitude and impacts of marine pollution in recent decades. Research on marine pollution can play a significant role in contributing to policy-making processes in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Life Below Water (SDG 14), by providing scientific analysis on the effects and sources of marine plastic pollution. This paper provides a theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution and its potential effects on marine ecosystems. It also discusses SDGs that are relevant to marine plastic pollution and suggest priorities for further research.

The Blue Economy (BE) has captured the attention of diverse interests to the ocean and there is rising concern about making it more equitable and inclusive. As it currently stands, diversity, social equity, and inclusion considerations have not been foregrounded in the discourse surrounding the BE and are continuously overlooked and undervalued. This paper reviews the ongoing social inequalities in the BE and distribution of benefits and costs across different groups in society. It also explores why equity matters, and how it can be achieved. Mirroring the call for under-represented or marginalized social groups to receive a fair share of the returns, which may be more than they have received to date. Our analysis shows that between 1988 and 2017, a Germany–based company has registered about 39% of all known marine genetic resources, while three companies in Asia control 30% of the market share of seafood sector in 2018. These findings show high consolidation of the ocean space by top corporations. Therefore, this paper argues that the exclusion of equity considerations within the BE investments can undermine ocean-based activities such as marine wildlife conservation initiatives that may disrupt the ocean sustainability agenda.

As an important source of essential amino acids and micronutrients, fish is critical in the fight against malnutrition, especially in low income and food deficient countries. However, because fish consumption is reportedly linked to overfishing and the generation of negative environmental consequences from fish farming. There have been calls to reduce fish consumption, which may have implications for fish intake and the drive to reduce childhood malnutrition in many developing countries. Here we assess the role of urbanization, income, fish prices, preferences, nutritional knowledge, and cultural attitudes in fish demand. We conducted analysis using the fixed effect model at three geographical scales: global—151 countries drawn from all continents that consume over 90% of global seafood supply; at the continental; and at the national scales, where we assessed seafood consumption in Nigeria, Portugal, Bangladesh and the United States. Our results suggest that at the global level, a 10% increase in disposable income leads to a 5% increase in fish consumption, although a 10% increase in domestic fish price leads to 8% decrease in fish consumption. In our continental level analysis, we found distinct drivers of seafood consumption across continents, for example, urbanization drives fish consumption in Africa, while domestic fish prices influence fish consumption in South America and Oceania regions. The estimates of the current study are broadly consistent with other earlier studies, showing a uniformly income-driven demand for seafood. World population is often presented as a key driver for the growth in seafood demand. A subtle driver for fish (and other animal source food) consumption is income. At the national level, the case studies highlight that qualitative variable such as preferences, nutritional knowledge, and cultural attitudes across countries are also important drivers for fish consumption. However, we suggest that future study could endeavor to assess how income and fish price influence peoples’ consumption of specific fish species.