EDFish

If you follow the goings-on of the U.S. Congress, you know that the final months of the year have become a sprint to the finish line marked by bursts of legislative energy and must-pass bills. This year is even more energetic than most. Earlier this month, we saw an “Infrastructure Week” finally end in passage […]

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022 the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, or IYAFA — a year to recognize and celebrate the contributions of small-scale fishers, fish workers and aquaculturists to communities and nations, and to advance their development. To celebrate the launch of IYAFA, we asked our staff who work closely […]

By Onesya Damayanti and Ria Fitriana EDF strives for sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges that come from empowering the people and communities we work with. And in Lampung, Indonesia, on the southern tip of Sumatra Island where one of our projects is based, improving financial literacy is essential for the transition […]

Seaweed forests and algal beds cover about 3.5 million square km of our planet — only about 1% of the ocean’s surface — but these amazing ecosystems generate benefits to people and nature far out of proportion to their size. The economic and social values derived from seaweed are impressive: about 650,000 people are employed […]

Worldwide, there is considerable interest in developing fishery management options that balance social, economic and ecological goals for multispecies fisheries. Ideally, fisheries management should strive not only to produce good yields from single stocks, but also to avoid serial depletion and prevent adverse impacts of fishing on marine ecosystems — a difficult, but achievable task. […]

Environmental Defense Fund recently invited Julie Kuchepatov, founder of Seafood and Gender Equality, to have a conversation with three EDF team members on the role of women in small-scale fisheries in their respective countries. Julie spoke with Onesya Damayanti, Community Outreach Specialist, Indonesia; Layla Osman, Small-Scale Fisheries Manager, Humboldt Current; and Ana Suarez, Senior Specialist […]

By Katie Westfall and Kristin Kleisner Tunas, sharks, billfishes and swordfish are wide-ranging species that can respond rapidly to environmental changes. Many within this group are top predators and can move across ocean basins and between shallow and deep waters in response to oceanic conditions. For these reasons, some of these species may serve as […]

By Julia Rose and Christopher Cusack The generation of goods and services on or for the oceans has been growing exponentially in recent years. Industries such as shipping, marine tourism, aquaculture and renewable energy contribute to a “Blue Economy” that employed 2.3 million Americans and generated $373 billion for the U.S. economy in 2018. By […]

Unsustainable fishing remains among the planet’s most serious and elusive environmental challenges. When it comes to the ocean, scientists agree that while reducing and mitigating climate risks is the biggest long-term threat, getting fishing intensity right is the biggest near-term need. Unknown to most people, concerted efforts have been underway now for more than 25 […]

No major global fishery ecosystem is untouched by China’s seafood economy. Its world-leading volume of fish catch and position in global seafood supply chains bring it to the forefront of critical economic and conservation policy issues. Our new paper in Marine Policy explores the changing face of China’s seafood economy. We bring to the surface […]

Over the past week, representatives from organizations and countries from around the world have come together for critical discussions about protecting and enhancing biodiversity in the face of climate change at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France. For the first time at the WCC, restoring ocean health was one of the central discussion […]

By Jim Leape, Kristian Teleki, Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted and Thomas V. Grasso, Co-chairs, Blue Food Cluster for the U.N. Food Systems Summit 2021 This op-ed was first published in ECO Magazine’s Autumn 2021 edition. View it here. Our food systems are fragile and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conventional food systems, already stretched, have been […]

By Trudie Grattan and Melissa Mahoney When you hear the phrase “oceans technology,” what comes to mind? Do you picture a futuristic device that’s cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch? Smart cameras to see a fishing vessel’s activity, fishing location and more? How about drones or autonomous underwater vehicles gathering oceanographic data previously thought unattainable? […]

Marine fisheries provide protein for more than 3 billion people worldwide, provide employment opportunities for more than 200 million people, and make significant contributions to people’s livelihoods, food security and well-being. However, due to climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, marine environmental pollution and eutrophication, global fishery resources — including Chinese fisheries — are facing a […]

As the biosphere continues to warm and the ocean acidifies, solving the global carbon problem becomes more critical each day. Keeping temperatures to survivable levels requires reducing emissions while at the same time working aggressively to absorb as much carbon dioxide as possible, using approaches that can nurture natural ecosystems and help vulnerable human communities […]

One of the things I focus on in my role as a climate scientist is understanding the impact of climate change on ocean fish populations as well as better fishery management practices to help ensure the continued delivery of seafood and livelihoods for millions of people around the world. Critically, the world is confronted with […]

By Christopher Cusack, Edwina Garchitorena and Rod Fujita Globally, fisheries are of great importance. Yet small-scale fishers and their communities in the tropics are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rebuilding and managing the fish stocks that these communities rely on is critical to ensuring the food security and climate resilience […]

With a record drought depleting rivers and reservoirs, wildfires burning across the Western U.S., historic floods in Germany and China, landslides in Japan, and my own notoriously wet and dreary hometown of Portland, Oregon hitting 115 degrees recently, it’s hard to avoid thinking about climate change. But while the terrestrial impacts are wide-ranging and obvious, […]

For nearly a decade, I’ve worked on sustainable fisheries management, traveling to small-scale fishing communities around the world to learn how best to build the capacity of local fishers, scientists and managers to ensure the sustainability of their fisheries. From Mexico to Myanmar, I’ve worked with communities to help them reach their goals so they […]

By Nina Pardo and Hector Soldi On June 4, a small but mighty fleet of artisanal sailboats from the fishing communities of Cabo Blanco and El Ñuro in northern Peru unfolded their sails and went out to sea — sailing alongside the Peruvian Navy’s sailing vessel La Unión. This annual regatta is a salute to […]