Securing a sustainable future for US seafood in the wake of a global crisis

Abstract

<p>The United States seafood industry is undergoing rapid change, as a result of the current trade war with China, ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and new governance mandates. The new Executive Order (EO) on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth, signed in May 2020, proposes wild-capture fisheries deregulation and prioritization of aquaculture (i.e., aquatic farming), with an emphasis on offshore development. Recent disruption of wild-caught seafood supply and demand could create space for sustainable aquaculture growth, but expansion could also undermine wild fisheries livelihoods and economics if integrated management between industries is ignored. Here, we review the current state of US seafood and outline five guiding principles to better manage US fisheries and aquaculture: (1) make precise and strategic fisheries reforms that continue to support sustainable wild fisheries, (2) integrate aquaculture and fisheries using an ecosystem-based approach, (3) address social resistance to aquaculture, (4) improve aquaculture data collection, and (5) reconcile nationalism in a global market. Implementation of these principles is critical for balancing social-ecological trade-offs amongst wild captured and farmed seafood systems, and for ensuring a more resilient US seafood sector under an anticipated future of increased volatility.</p>

Early effects of COVID‐19 on US fisheries and seafood consumption

“…A combination of human responses, combined with species life history, will determine the timescale of these effects and whether or not they are temporary or cause longer term shifts in consumption, fishing patterns and fishery status. It is clear that we need better and more timely reporting of both fisheries landings and aquaculture data for rapid policy interventions (Gephart et al., 2019; Froehlich et al, 2020). Fisheries like those in Alaska point to examples where weekly updates of publicly available landings data can help inform science and policy.…”

“…Importantly, the stymied federal response to help the US seafood sector is not necessarily due to a lack of prioritization at the time. In fact, an expansive executive order was introduced to promote fisheries and aquaculture regulatory reform and increase production (Froehlich et al, 2020), occurring shortly after the time period (22-29 April) when seafood restaurant searches and foot traffic values were at their lowest point. Given the disruption and uncertainty, future interventions and funds for the US seafood sector should focus on fishery-dependent communities, improving processing infrastructure and safety, supporting systems that focus on fresh seafood products, and more broadly data collection and management to create a system which can more readily respond and distribute relief more quickly.…”

“…Each of these sub-sectors will likely be affected differently by the fallout from COVID-19, especially given differences in responses to the pandemic across US states and at a federal level (Althouse et al, 2020;Hale et al, 2020;White & Hébert-Dufresne, 2020;Froehlich et al, 2020).…”

The search for blue transitions in aquaculture‐dominant countries

“…In some cases where aquaculture has effectively excluded capture fisheries (e.g., through the conversion of common access floodplains and mangrove forests), displacement has led to inequitable outcomes for food security or livelihoods, and unanticipated consequences for biodiversity loss (Clavelle et al., 2019; Paul & Vogl, 2011; Richards & Friess, 2016; Toufique & Gregory, 2008). However, where possible, actively integrating management of expanding aquaculture and fisheries improvement plans under a participatory “ecosystem approach” or “One Health” lens may minimize these negative social and ecological feedbacks across sectors (Brugère et al., 2019; Froehlich et al., 2020; Kuempel et al., 2021; Stentiford et al., 2020).…”

A framework for mapping and monitoring human-ocean interactions in near real-time during COVID-19 and beyond

“…Additionally, reduced demand for fisheries products, combined with COVID-19 outbreaks among seafood workers, has led to some large reductions in commercial and small-scale fishing activity and increased recreational fishing in some areas [9,10]. Although the full effects of the pandemic, and associated interventions, on marine systems will not be known for many years, management and policy decisions still have to be made in the present [2,11].…”