United Nations Endorses New “Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture”

More seafood is currently produced via farming, or aquaculture, than is harvested from the wild, according to a recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report. As more people globally rely on seafood farming for safe, nutritious food, ensuring aquaculture grows sustainably is of the utmost importance.

The Guidelines for Sustainable Aquacultureendorsed by the Food and Agriculture Organization aim to do exactly that: develop global aquaculture best practices.

As an aquaculture science and policy leader, NOAA helped inform the new guidelines. NOAA experts worked to ensure the needs of North American aquaculture sectors were represented in the guidelines while balancing the needs of countries worldwide.

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector globally, driven by technological innovations and growing demand for seafood. As with all forms of agriculture, this rapid growth has exposed challenges for environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Guidelines are needed to ensure aquaculture grows sustainably.

This framework addresses these challenges by outlining a plan that benefits people, the ocean, and coastal economies. The authors envision an aquaculture sector that:

• Contributes to the fight against global hunger
• Lifts economies and the living standards of seafood farmers globally
• Bolster's resilience to climate change

Read the new Guidelines for Sustainable Aquacultureon the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Website, and learn more about NOAA's work in sustainable aquaculture.