The Dutch Government and the Rockefeller Foundation announced on Thursday 23 April 2014 their pledge of funding support to WorldFish and the Earth Observatory of Singapore to produce a road map for the future of fish.
WorldFish will develop a framework to help define the quantitative goals for a sustainable fish food system that fully meets global needs in 2030 and beyond. Fish provides more than a billion people with over 50% of their animal sourced food and is a key component of a balanced diet for many more. But the challenges of supplying sufficient fish in a world with growing demand requires concerted effort guided by a clear plan.
Over the next 8 months, WorldFish will work with FAO and other partners from industry, academia and the NGO community to assess these possible futures for the fish food system.
Dr. Fred Boltz, Managing Director for Ecosystems at the Rockefeller Foundation, explains: “If you want to get somewhere you need the right navigation charts. WorldFish are going to develop options to get us to where we want to be. Fisheries are too important, particularly as a source of both food and livelihood for millions of poor and vulnerable people, to leave the future to chance.”
Sharon Dijksma, the Minister for Agriculture for the Netherlands says: "The global community needs to come up urgently with smarter solutions for healthy oceans, now threatened by overfishing, climate change and pollution. This smart initiative is one step in the right direction for millions of people who are depending on fish for food and income. Let's take this step to chart fish together with public and private partners. This is the kind of action we need to solve our challenges."
Stephen Hall, Director General of World Fish says: “Getting to our preferred Blue Growth future by 2030, which we have called 'Eden', requires a clearer picture of what our needs are and what levers we can pull to help us get there. That’s going to include reducing waste, improving wild catches by managing fisheries better, and increasing aquaculture production in sustainable and equitable ways that limit environmental impacts and deliver benefits for the world’s poorest. We will need to find a way to achieve ‘Eden’ efficiently and equitably”.
For more information please contact:
Carey Meyers
The Rockefeller Foundation
Email: cmeyers@rockfound.org
Tel: +1-212-852-8486
Diane Shohet
Director, Communications and Marketing, WorldFish
Email: d.shohet@cgiar.org
Tel: +6-017-474-8606
About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve equitable growth by expanding opportunity for more people in more places worldwide, and to build resilience by helping them prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. Throughout its 100 year history, The Rockefeller Foundation has enhanced the impact of innovative thinkers and actors working to change the world by providing the resources, networks, convening power, and technologies to move them from idea to impact. In today's dynamic and interconnected world, The Rockefeller Foundation has a unique ability to address the emerging challenges facing humankind through innovation, intervention and influence in order to shape agendas and inform decision making. For more information, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org
About WorldFish
WorldFish is an international, nonprofit research organization committed to reducing poverty and hunger through fisheries and aquaculture.