Prospects of low trophic marine aquaculture contributing to food security in a net zero-carbon world

To limit compromising the integrity of the planet, a shift is needed towards food production
with low environmental impacts and low carbon footprint. How to put such transformative
change towards sustainable food production whilst ensuring food security into practice
remains a challenge and will require transdisciplinary approaches. Combining expertise
from natural- and social sciences as well as industry perspectives, an alternative vision
for the future in the marine realm is proposed. This vision includes moving towards
aquaculture mainly of low trophic marine (LTM) species. Such shift may enable a
blue transformation that can support a sustainable blue economy. It includes a whole
new perspective and proactive development of policy-making which considers, among
others, the context-specific nature of allocation of marine space and societal acceptance
of new developments, over and above the decarbonization of food production, vis
á vis reducing regulatory barriers for the industry for LTM whilst acknowledging the
complexities of upscaling and outscaling. This needs to be supported by transdisciplinary
research co-produced with consumers and wider public, as a blue transformation
towards accelerating LTM aquaculture opportunities in a net zero-carbon world can only
occur by considering the demands of society.

Keywords: blue transformation, food security, marine aquaculture, narrative, private sector, transdisciplinarity, zero-carbon

Krause, G., L. Le Vay, B.H. Buck, B. Costa-Pierce, T. Dewhurst, K.G. Heasman, N. Nevejan, P. Nielsen, K.N. Nielsen, K. Park, M.F. Schupp, J.-B. Thomas, M. Troell, L. Webb, A.L. Wrange, F. Ziegler and Å. Strand. 2022. Prospects of low trophic marine aquaculture contributing to food security in a net zero-carbon world. Fronters in Sustainable Food Systems 6:875509.