OOS 50-5 - Shifts toward understanding and managing aquatic food systems from a social-ecological perspective

Fish and other aquatic foods have been central to food systems throughout human history, supplying critical micronutrients and supporting diverse livelihoods around the world. Aquatic food production is closely tied to the environment through the ecosystems that support harvests and the natural resources that enable aquaculture. As a result, humans and the environment are deeply intertwined within aquatic food systems. Nevertheless, a substantial share of past fisheries research and management turned toward commodification, distancing humans from supporting environments. This talk will take a historical perspective on the shift from understanding and managing aquatic resources as commodities toward a social-ecological systems approach. Drawing on global to local research, the talk will first show how our understanding of aquatic food trade changes when viewed through a nutritional lens. These results are based on the newly developed Aquatic Resource Trade in Species (ARTIS) database, which includes the first global estimates of seafood species and nutrient trade flows from 1996–2020. The talk will then point to new evidence on the importance of social-ecological factors in driving the observed global aquatic food flows. Finally, this presentation will use village-level data from Kiribati to demonstrate the interactive effects of ecological and market change on nutritional outcomes. By moving toward a social-ecological understanding and management of aquatic food systems, we can better protect and support the full range of human benefits derived from aquatic ecosystems.