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

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

While most seafood sectors are increasingly sourcing sustainable or better sources, some regions and sectors still face challenges that make achieving sustainability difficult, according to a new report from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).

Annual Report of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) T75 Sector Status Update shows progress toward the Target 75 (T75) initiative. This initiative aims to make 75 percent of seafood production in 13 key sectors more sustainable or make regular, verifiable improvements. This year’s report highlights significant increases in sustainable and improving production in sectors such as tuna, squid and salmon.

However, the report notes that some sectors, such as large shrimp and octopus, are still struggling to meet the 75 percent target, likely due to limited market leverage and industry interest. These issues are particularly problematic in regions such as Asia and Africa, which account for almost two-thirds of global T75 seafood production.

“These regions continue to face significant shortcomings in effective management and data collection, which hampers the implementation of broad-based sustainable development measures,” said SFP Senior Scientist Pedro Veiga, one of the report’s authors. “Our findings underscore the need to step up efforts to protect marine biodiversity, ensure the inclusion of small-scale fishermen, improve fisheries policy and management, and promote regenerative aquaculture.”

According to the latest data, combined wild and farmed production from 13 T75 sectors was about 91 million tonnes, which is about half of global seafood production, excluding seaweed, plants, marine mammals and other species. Wild catches accounted for 77 percent of total production, while aquaculture contributed 23 percent.

Read the full report here.

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