WorldFish Commits $1m for New Aquatic Food Research

The WorldFish Centre has pledged $1 millio to expand scientific understanding of the role of aquatic foods for planetary health and human wellbeing.

This came as the organisation was responding to the global call to action for sustainable transformation of food systems amid the growing climate crisis.

The pledge was made during the 6th annual “Our Ocean Conference” hosted by the government of Norway recently in Oslo.

The commitment would support the development of a new multi-year global research program on fish and future aquatic foods.

As part of the initiative, the establishment of a Fish for Africa Innovation Hub would help accelerate national and regional efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 through cutting-edge market and policy innovations informed by scientific evidence on affordable, safe and sustainably fish and aquatic foods.

The new initiative also includes national foresight studies for India and Nigeria – as countries with large fisheries sectors that are expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

According to the statement, the WorldFish would utilise the new research program on fish and aquatic foods to build a coalition of public and private partners to help accelerate the transition to sustainable aquatic food systems and enhanced ocean governance.

Speaking on the development, the Directorgeneral, WorldFish, Dr Gareth Johnstone, said there was a great promise in fish and aquatic foods to feed billions, nourish nations, and help make the much-needed transition to healthier diets and more sustainable food systems.

According to him, “We must make fish and aquatic foods matter to as many policy makers, investors and entrepreneurs as possible and place them at the heart of the food and nutrition security agenda and the wider efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.