Panel Underscores Untapped Potential of Aquatic Food Systems to Tackle Multiple Sustainable Development Goals, Including Ending Hunger, Protecting Ocean
NICE, FRANCE, 13 June — With just “six harvest seasons” left to meet global targets on hunger and ocean sustainability, leading scientists and policymakers gathered for the ninth panel discussion of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference to spotlight the need to recognize the transformative role of sustainable aquatic foods in ending poverty and achieving food security.
Titled “Promoting the role of sustainable food from the ocean for poverty eradication and food security”, the panel underscored the untapped potential of aquatic food systems to address multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
According to a recent United Nations report, only 62.3 per cent of marine fish stocks were biologically sustainable, with the rest either overexploited or at their limit. And 23.8 million tons of aquatic foods — 14.8 per cent of total production — were lost or wasted in the supply chain.
“Let’s bring aquatic foods from the margins to the mainstream — not as a niche solution, but as a pillar of planetary health and human well-being”, said Jörn Schmidt, Science Director for Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems at Worldfish, urging Governments and stakeholders to put aquatic foods at the centre of efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger while enhancing climate resilience. “Aquatic foods are one of the few tools that can simultaneously tackle poverty, hunger and climate risk”, he emphasized, yet lamented that they are “often left off the table”.
Mr. Schmidt urged action on three fronts: nutrition, production and equity. He described aquatic foods as “nutritional powerhouses”, especially vital for vulnerable groups like women and young children. “Even modest increases in aquatic food consumption during the first 1,000 days of life can significantly reduce stunting and enhance cognitive development,” he noted. On production, he stressed low-impact, high-return systems such as seaweed and bivalves, and called for “restoration and regeneration”, pointing out: “Small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers are not the problem. They are essential to the solution.” On equity, he advocated for secure tenure, gender inclusion and social protection.
Also highlighting the nutritious benefits of aquatic foods was Manuel Barange, Assistant Director General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division at Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “Aquatic foods are packed with essential micronutrients — vitamins, minerals and highly bioavailable long-chain omega-3 fatty acids”, he said, noting that global fish production reached 189 million tons in 2023, providing each person with 21 kilograms of aquatic animal protein every year. “These are critical for a healthy diet and play a key role in brain development and heart health”, he said, adding: “Simply put, aquatic foods are essential in the fight against nutrient deficiencies and for promoting global nutritional security.”
He offered four practical actions for a “blue transformation” of aquatic foods: integrate aquatic foods into food security policies by promoting their inclusion in national programmes and improving access for vulnerable groups; reduce fish waste by utilizing the whole fish and promoting sustainable ocean foods like seaweed; empower small-scale fishers and post-harvest workers, especially women, through supportive policies and income-boosting initiatives; and ensure sustainable fisheries and aquaculture through active management, securing food sources, livelihoods and ecosystem health. “As we look towards 2030, let’s not only recommit to SDG 14, but also realize how critical it is for SDGs 1 and 2, among others — and make sure ocean-based food systems are not just sustainable — but central to our vision of a world without hunger or poverty.”
In the Marshall Islands, where Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director of Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, is from, revenues from tuna fisheries make up 32 per cent of the national budget. In the Federated States of Micronesia, where she now lives, tuna accounts for nearly half of all domestically generated revenue. “In many Pacific island countries, these revenues fund education, hospitals, basic infrastructure and other essential public services”, she said, emphasizing: “For them, and for us, a healthy, sustainable tuna fishery is not optional — it is existential.”
Tuna’s importance extends far beyond these shorelines, she said, noting that canned tuna is one of the top five most consumed seafoods in the world, with its global market valued at $20.4 billion in 2024, and skipjack tuna accounting for nearly 48 per cent of the share. Tuna plays a dual role in food security as a globally traded commodity and a vital food source for coastal communities, she said, calling for greater efforts to manage tuna stocks sustainably, ensure equitable access and strengthen value chains. Local processing, preservation and infrastructure improvements can boost affordability. Supporting small-scale fishers, promoting innovation and offering social protections will enhance livelihoods. Finally, she added, fair global trade policies are essential to avoid disruptions in supply and pricing, ensuring tuna remains accessible to vulnerable populations and supports both nutrition and economic resilience.
“We are now less than six harvest seasons away from 2030, and yet, far from achieving the targets,” warned Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Director of the Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform at CGIAR — a network of global agriculture research institutes for a food-secure future. She stressed the urgent need to link ocean health with food and nutrition security, warning that the world is falling behind on SDG 2 and SDG 14. She noted that aquaculture now surpasses capture fisheries, driven by advances in “selective breeding, climate-smart technologies and regenerative aquaculture systems”, and highlighted seaweed as a rapidly expanding, sustainable food source, especially in South Asia and Africa. “The seaweed industry is […] growing as an important source of livelihood and food and nutrition security.”
Positioning CGIAR as a global catalyst, she stated: “CGIAR […] is well-placed to advance the reach of science-based approaches through three impactful pathways: Bringing innovations to scale, transformative policy options and sharing capacity.” However, all these efforts can only be significant with purposeful intent — with the right investments for research and capacity sharing, with the right political will and the right science to guide the transformation. She concluded with a call to action: “We must further this dialogue beyond this gathering […] so that people and nations can sustainably harness and use aquatic foods.”
Inclusive and sustainable industrial development is vital to advancing foods systems, said Ciyong Zou, Deputy-Director-General at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). He emphasized that resilient value chains — “from production to processing to market access” — are essential to making aquatic foods “safe, accessible and equitable for all”. He highlighted that aquatic foods support over 3 billion people, yet post-harvest losses reach up to 30 per cent in developing regions, undermining both nutrition and livelihoods. “This means lost nutrition, lost income and lost opportunities — especially for coastal and island communities already vulnerable to climate and economic shocks”, he noted.
He shared impactful case studies: In Cambodia, upgraded processing facilities improved food safety and jobs while a fish powder project tackled child malnutrition and waste; and in Sudan training improved artisanal fishers’ incomes and food safety. UNIDO’s approach includes women’s empowerment, cleaner production and climate-resilient circularity. Mr. Zou announced a voluntary commitment to expand technical support in at least 10 additional coastal countries by 2030, adding: “Sustainable aquatic food systems are not only a matter of nutrition or economics — they are a matter of justice and resilience.”
The panel was co-chaired by Shaaban Ali Othman, Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries of Zanzibar of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Kim Sungbum, Deputy Minister for Marine Policy, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea. Setting the stage for discussion as moderator was Jim Leape, Stanford University, United States. Gideon Henderson, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom, made additional remarks as a discussant. The panel was followed by an interactive discussion featuring representatives of Member States and civil society organizations.