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By Danielle Carey, Sepp Haukebo and Eduardo Boné-Morón Renowned for its turquoise waters and unique marine ecosystems, The Bahamas is a natural wonder of the world. Yet, with all its beauty, the country faces critical challenges, including rising energy costs, environmental degradation and the growing impacts and threat of climate change. These issues jeopardize the …

By: Aubrey Taylor Tropical Storm Oscar crept up from the North Atlantic Ocean at a leisurely 40 miles per hour on the morning of Oct. 19, 2024 and ambled toward the Turks and Caicos Islands. Based on the data available, meteorologists believed the tiny storm was unlikely to cause major damage. Yet only three hours …

By: M. Khazali, Andi Yasser Fauzan, and Meutia Isty Wulandari  The Government of Indonesia has committed to protect its marine ecosystems, pledging to establish 32.5 million hectares of marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030. This commitment supports the 30×30 target of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s marine areas …

By Ann M. Albury, Sepp Haukebo, and Carlito Turner The cerulean blue waters of The Bahamas are world renowned for their expansive saltwater fishing flats. These flats—shallow, sand or seagrass covered nearshore areas—are the ideal habitat for stalking prized fly fishing species, including bonefish, tarpon, permit, cobia, and snook.  The Bahamas is known as one …

A changing climate requires more adaptive fisheries management and better tools for collecting data and making decisions.

Managers must establish controls that maintain sustainability as stocks experience climate-driven shifts in their productivity and distribution.

The strong record of sustainable fisheries management in the US is being challenged by the rapid, widespread and unpredictable impacts of climate change.

Nearly 50 years ago, United States lawmakers took action to protect fishery resources by establishing a comprehensive federal fishery management system.

Underserved fishing communities experience and are the least able to withstand severe impacts on their livelihoods, infrastructure and well-being.

By: Meutia Isty Wulandari The “Jaya Bahari Abadi” Community Surveillance Group (Kelompok Masyarakat Pengawas/Pokmaswas) has won third place in the 2024 Adibakti Mina Bahari Award. This prestigious award is given by the Indonesian’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries to stakeholders who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the marine and fisheries sector. The award was presented on …

EDF report explores how open ocean aquaculture can increase domestic seafood production while highlighting species most likely to thrive in offshore environments.

EDF report explores how open ocean aquaculture can increase domestic seafood production while highlighting species most likely to thrive in offshore environments.

This White Paper explores developments in science and technology that could support a sustainable, competitive open ocean aquaculture industry in the United States Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

EDF is working to build support among ocean, coastal, and seafood stakeholders and policy makers to establish a rigorous, science-based environmental and social regulatory framework that provides a predictable environment for business investment, protects ocean health, and supports equitable outcomes for coastal communities and individuals working throughout the seafood industry.

This EDF white paper draws conclusions primarily from the escapes of marine finfish farmed in their current natural range or their native ocean basin that would be relevant to marine species and operations expected to be reared in U.S. offshore waters.

Growing a sustainable U.S. aquaculture sector to meet that projected demand will require focusing on the sustainability of the feed that supplies 70 percent of farmed seafood globally.

By: Abdul Halim1, Amehr Hakim2, Gemma Carroll3, and Annie Mark4  In just a few weeks, on October 21st, 2024, delegations from 196 countries party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will come together for its 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, to review progress, set priorities and commit to new workplans to …

By: Poppy Brittingham Open ocean aquaculture (also referred to as “offshore” aquaculture) is a nascent industry in the United States. As it exists now, the industry has the potential to positively contribute to domestic seafood supplies if executed well. However, if the risks and impacts of the farms are not well understood, it can cause …

A new report from Environmental Defense Fund provides critical insights into species that may be optimal for farming in open ocean environments.

By: Fenjie Chen and Shems Jud A ground-breaking shift in Japan’s fisheries management is happening. It is aiming to restore fish stocks and recover harvests to achieve sustainable management and utilization. But many fishers have been unaware of how these reforms impact their daily operation. They have limited understanding of how they can contribute to …

We’ve come to our final blog in our series on sustainable aquaculture for EDFish. Now that we’ve covered aquaculture feed, escapes, and diseases, we’ll wrap up the discussion with a look at technology’s role in sustainable aquaculture. With appropriate investment and incentives, ocean farming technologies and innovations could address sustainability risks for farming seafood in …

By: M. Khazali, Guswarman, and Meutia Isty Wulandari  “If we don’t prioritize monitoring and law enforcement against destructive fishing activities, the blue swimming crab management is unlikely to succeed.” These words were said in March 2024 by Hasan “Ubay” Ubaidillah, a leader of the Community Surveillance Group (Kelompok Masyarakat Pengawas/Pokmaswas) Jaya Bahari Abadi. He stood in …

By: Harlisa, M. Khazali, and Meutia Isty Wulandari Sarkad gazed out at the Lampung coastline, his hands gripping the edge of his small fishing boat. At 49 years old, Sarkad had spent over half his life catching blue swimming crabs. He fled his hometown in West Java, hoping to escape deteriorating marine conditions and declining …

Let’s continue the conversation on sustainable aquaculture. This is the third blog in our series exploring the sustainability of aquaculture—what we currently know, emerging advancements, and areas for growth. In our previous, we covered escapes in aquaculture, and before that, we discussed aquaculture feed.     In this blog, we are focusing on diseases in …

Open ocean aquaculture in the U.S. has the potential to create diverse local jobs, build a more climate-resilient domestic seafood supply, and minimize impacts on the climate and environment. However, achieving these benefits hinges on practicing aquaculture the right way.  So, what does the “right way” entail? What do we still need to know to …