UN endorses NOAA’s new Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture

U.S. agency provided scientific expertise on the new guidelines

The United Nations has endorsed new Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture from the (U.S.) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which aim to develop global aquaculture best practices. As an aquaculture science and policy leader, NOAA played a key role in shaping the new guidelines. NOAA experts worked to ensure that the needs of North American aquaculture sectors were represented, while also considering the needs of countries worldwide.

Globally, aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector, driven by technological innovations and an increasing demand for seafood. Like all forms of agriculture, this rapid growth presents challenges to environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

“Guidelines are needed to ensure aquaculture grows sustainably,” wrote NOAA in a press release. “This framework addresses these challenges by outlining a plan that benefits people, the ocean and coastal economies.”

The authors envision an aquaculture sector that contributes to global food security, elevates economies, improves the living standards of seafood farmers worldwide and enhances resilience to climate change.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more seafood is produced through aquaculture than harvested from the wild. As a growing global population increasingly relies on farmed seafood for safe and nutritious food, NOAA experts say that ensuring the sustainable growth of aquaculture is “of the utmost importance.”

Read the new Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture on the United Nations FAO website.

@GSA_Advocate