Blue Economy

The Blue Economy is increasingly recognized as a vital for sustainable food production, offering significant potential to address global food security challenges.

As populations continues to grow, the demand for nutritious and sustainable food sources intensifies. The Blue Economy, which encompasses the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health, plays a crucial role in meeting this demand. One of the primary areas of focus within the Blue Economy for food production is aquaculture, which has emerged as one of the fastest-growing food production sectors, providing nearly half of the world's seafood.

However, there is a need for more sustainable practices for improved resource use and resilience to climate change.

Research activities include:

• Aquaculture production and practice – such as sustainability through improved husbandry and breeding programmes, improved health and welfare practices, development of sustainable feeds, regulation and governance and ecosystem-based management.
• Climate resilience – such as the effect of ocean and freshwater warming, water supply, land-use change, and adaptive management strategies, including contributions to net-zero and climate mitigation.
• Socio-economic benefits – such as community livelihoods, market access and economic viability of sustainable practices, and nutritional benefits to promote consumption of Blue Foods.