The potential of aquatic foods to deliver positive food system outcomes will only be realised when they are integrated fully within food systems decision making, and policy and investments. Food systems decision making should consider all dimensions of governance and management of fish and aquatic food systems, including sustainability, economics, trade, aquaculture, and nutrition, health and equity outcomes. Whilst global recognition and actions are necessary, securing sustainable supplies, value chains and consumption of fish and aquatic foods need to be translated into actions at national levels through policies and investments. By doing so, key objectives of food system transformation, including enhancing nutrition with a nutrient rich food product, women’s empowerment, and improving sustainability of food supplies through low environmental impacts can be better achieved.

WorldFish has been working with partners to develop and distribute products that enhance access to fish products for vulnerable groups. For example, in Malawi and Zambia, women processing groups have been established and training provided on improved processing technologies to improve quality and reduce waste and loss. In India, powdered small fish has been taken up by the State Government of Odisha and rolled out in the Supplementary Nutrition Programme. In Timor-Leste, fish powders have created new livelihood opportunities for women and empowered them, with improvements in child nutrition due to increased access to nutrient-dense fish as food.

The benefits of aquatic foods for health, especially for the most vulnerable, are well demonstrated. Fish intake is associated with a 36% reduced mortality risk from heart disease and consumption of 60 g fish/ day is associated with a 12% reduction in mortality. An increasing number of countries are recommending minimum levels of regular fish consumption in their national dietary guidelines. Argentina recommends greater consumption of specific aquatic foods, including algae whilst the Philippines and Sri Lanka depict diverse aquatic foods and includes quantitative recommendation as well as specific spices and nutrients.

Ensure policies and investments safeguard and enhance the flow of nutrition on to vulnerable populations, especially women and children in the first 1000 days of life. Ensuring that management of fisheries and aquaculture do not leave the poor and vulnerable behind 

Small-scale food producers, often made up of women and other vulnerable groups, supply most of the aquatic foods essential for food and nutrition security. Policies and investments are required to support small-scale actors and attention is needed to identify challenges affecting aquatic food livelihoods throughout the value-chains to ensure the flow of nutrition benefits is achievable, particularly as women are often involved in the informal sector. Policies that include the voices and needs of marginalised actor’s dependent on these food sources, as well as prioritising the social protection and livelihoods of small-scale aquatic producers, are essential.

This solution is grounded in the effective implementation of relevant fisheries and aquaculture international tools and instruments. In particular the FAO Small Scale Fisheries Voluntary Guidelines, which are rooted in human rights, promotes equitable and inclusive access to management resources, are inclusive of all value chains and improved work towards resilient to climate change. This requires institutional coordination, policy coherence, research and capacity development.

The safe and responsible application of genetics can deliver cumulative, permanent genetic gains in fish farmed widely in Africa and Asia. FISH investments in genetically improved farmed Tilapia (GIFT) and the Carp genetic improvement program have helped increased productivity, and provided a sustainable source of income, food and nutrition security, while also helping farmers build resilience against climate change. Broad gene pools, with new selection methods, provide for rapid productivity gains, while consumer-based interventions, when handled properly, support local use and integration into domestic and global markets.

It is crucial to improve feed access for small-scale farmers to ensure the inclusive growth of aquaculture. Underused and affordable agricultural co-products can be used as effective fish feed ingredients, reducing the dependency on ingredients that can be directly consumed by humans. Feeds can nourish the fish as well as the pond organisms that help break down fish waste and produce natural food for the fish. FeedCalculator is an open access application which can be used globally by farmers and feed millers to formulate nutrition feed from locally available ingredients.

Tilapia Lake Virus and other newly emerging viruses are associated with significant mortalities in farmed Tilapia, creating a huge threat to the global Tilapia industry.  Innovations including Lab-in-a-backpack, a small and easy to use USB device developed by researchers that harnesses the power of genome sequencing to help farmers managed fish diseases. This tool makes genome sequency cheaper and faster and uses real-time data accurately to identify what is killing fish and connect with aquaculture health practitioners to produce simple vaccines to vaccinate new stock of fish.

Nutrition sensitive approaches make human health and nutrition a principal objective in the management of aquatic food systems.

WorldFish has been working to promote equitable livelihoods through innovative and inclusive diversified fish production systems that can reduce poverty and improve nutrition, particularly for women. In Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Zambia small-scale aquaculture was introduced in vulnerable rural environments with a target of training and empowering women in the production of multiple fish species. These pond polyculture systems take an ecosystem-based and nutrition-sensitive approach to farming diversified small and large fish species utilising natural local feed and capabilities that promote environmentally, economically and socially sustainable production. The projects implement knowledge transfer, training, extension services and network linkages, to overcome technical and market challenges. The systems have been shown to raise income and assist vulnerable populations to exit poverty, as well as improve household food and nutrition security for women and children.

Unsustainable monoculture practices often erode ecosystem functions and do not address the nutrient needs of the most vulnerable populations. There is now a revival of integrated practices that not only promote sustainable production but also deliver diverse nutrient-rich foods for rural and small-scale food system actors. FISH has been working across vulnerable regions to enhance integrated systems, such as rice-fish systems, roots-tubers-banana-fish systems; and integrating pond production with growing of nutritious vegetables, enhancing the livelihoods, incomes and household dietary diversity of small-scale producers, including women, in rural environments.

Inland fisheries are an important source of livelihoods and food and nutrition security in many low- and middle-income countries. Farm irrigation infrastructure often has negative impact on aquatic foods and their habitats. However, evidence shows that integrating fisheries into irrigation systems could mitigate these negative impacts and enhance fisheries, benefiting both fishers and farmers. A new set of guidelines, created by FAO, WorldFish and International Water Management Institute, sets out how to increase benefits and sustainability from this new integrated system.

Youth are increasingly engaged in non-standard, informal and less secure employment opportunities. Empowered youth are essential to the future of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. It is crucial to understand how youth can engage with the sector to access decent and meaningful livelihood opportunities. Youth face unique challenges in agri-food system livelihoods, which are often amplified by other intersectional identities - young men tend to produce fish, where they may assume some power but also high physical or financial risk, while young women tend to process and trade fish, where, they often lack influence and are exposed to exploitative conditions, including the sex-for-fish trade, which is increasingly prevalent as fish catch declines. Youth face greater risks from the sex-for-fish trade as it accelerates the spread of HIV/AIDS in fishing communities.