Seafood, an unexpected ally in the fight against climate change

A technical discussion on Seafood as a Strategic Source of Food in the Context of Climate Change was organized by the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development and the Xunta de Galicia. Manuel Barange, Director of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, participated in the event.  

In their opening remarks, Members of Parliament (MEPs) Gabriel Mato and José Millán Mon stressed the importance of seafood and fisheries products for food security and healthy diets, as well as for sustainable development, including livelihoods for coastal communities and national economies. 

Barange noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity in many regions and stressed the vital role of fisheries and aquaculture in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Fish require less feed per kilogram produced, compared with terrestrial protein sources, and seafood production entails lower greenhouse gas emissions than other animal production industries, Barange stated. In addition, seafood makes an important contribution to healthy diets, especially for children and pregnant women.  

After presenting FAO’s Blue Transformation initiative, Barange concluded by noting that climate change is ‘the ultimate disrupter of everything we do’ and that consumers will have to adapt to this. 

Lorella De La Cruz Iglesias, Deputy Head of Unit for Blue Economy Sectors at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, welcomed FAO’s Blue Transformation initiative and highlighted it as an important step for recognizing the importance of seafood in sustainable food systems.  

You can read more about the meeting here.  

You can read more about FAO’s work on fisheries and aquaculture here. 

You can read more about FAO’s work on climate change here.