Aquaculture holds immense promise for creating a sustainable and equitable food system, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on food security, climate change, and biodiversity (FCB). Biological diversity in aquaculture species can significantly contribute to these goals. However, current research has often overlooked the specific biological traits of farmed aquatic species that impact Food Security, Climate Change, and Biodiversity (FCB).
A recent study by Solving-FCB MSc Student Aleah Wong, Scientific directors Dr. William Cheung and Dr. Rashid Sumaila, and University of British Columbia Assistant Professor Dr. Andrea Frommel, conducted a systematic literature review to identify key traits linked with FCB and evaluated aquaculture’s potential to support these goals using a fuzzy logic model. The findings reveal that most traits are associated with food security, and many of these traits also intersect with climate change and biodiversity, suggesting co-benefits when optimizing these traits.
The study highlights that aquaculture’s focus on production traits such as fecundity, growth rate, nutrient density, and feed efficiency is insufficient to address broader FCB goals. Interestingly, non-fish species like algae and molluscs scored higher on FCB indices compared to finfish, underscoring the importance of integrating diverse species into aquaculture systems.
This research provides a biologically informed framework for decision-makers, emphasizing the need to support FCB goals through strategic species selection and trait optimization. It also sets the stage for exploring socio-economic factors that can facilitate the transition to more sustainable and equitable aquaculture practices tailored to regional needs.
