Report: Sustainable seafood production improving globally, but Asia and Africa face challenges

Progress in sustainable seafood production is notable but uneven, according to latest Sustainable Fisheries Partnership report

Most seafood sectors are increasingly using sustainable or improving sources, but some regions and sectors still face challenges that make sustainability difficult, a new report by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) indicates.

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s (SFP) annual T75 Sectors Status Update shows progress towards their Target 75 (T75) initiative. This initiative aims to make 75 percent of seafood production in 13 key sectors more sustainable or making regular, verifiable improvements. This year’s report highlights significant increases in sustainable and improving production in sectors like tuna, squid and salmon.

However, the report notes that some sectors, such as large shrimp and octopus, continue to face challenges in reaching the 75 percent target, possibly due to limited market leverage and industry interest. These challenges are a particular problem in regions such as Asia and Africa, which contribute almost two-thirds of global seafood production within the T75 scope.

“These regions still face significant deficiencies in effective management and data collection, which hinder the implementation of broad-scale sustainability measures,” said SFP Senior Scientist Pedro Veiga, one of the report’s authors. “Our findings underscore the need for increased efforts in protecting marine biodiversity, ensuring the inclusion of small-scale fishers, improving fisheries policy and management and promoting regenerative aquaculture.”

According to the most recent data, the combined wild and farmed production from the 13 T75 sectors amounted to approximately 91 million tons, representing roughly half of global seafood production, excluding seaweeds, plants, marine mammals and other species. Wild capture constituted 77 percent of the total production, while aquaculture contributed 23 percent.

Read the full report here.

@GSA_Advocate