Sustainability and Management of Aquaculture and Fisheries
Summary
The sustainability and management of aquaculture and fisheries encompass integrated approaches to maintain stock health, ecosystem integrity and the economic viability of aquatic food systems. In capture fisheries, the emphasis lies on ecosystem-based management that balances harvest rates with biological productivity, minimises by-catch and protects habitats. In aquaculture, sustainable intensification seeks to optimise feed conversion, reduce pollution and conserve water through technologies such as recirculating systems, multi-trophic integration and precision monitoring. Circular-economy principles are increasingly applied to valorise by-products, close nutrient loops and lessen dependence on wild fish for feed ingredients. Governance frameworks, from local community co-management to international regulatory agreements, provide the policy scaffolding for certification schemes, ecolabelling and compliance monitoring. Climate change, ocean acidification and habitat degradation pose emerging challenges that demand adaptive management, scenario planning and risk assessment across social, economic and ecological dimensions. Advances in data analytics, remote sensing and participatory decision-making tools are enhancing transparency and responsiveness in management, while consumer awareness and market incentives are driving improvements in traceability and environmental performance. Together, these developments forge a multidisciplinary pathway to secure resilient aquatic food supplies and safeguard marine and freshwater ecosystems for future generations.
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Sustainability and Management of Aquaculture and Fisheries publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in sustainability and management of aquaculture and fisheries across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Circular bio-economy: An economic model that reuses and recycles biological resources and by-products to close nutrient loops and reduce waste.
Nutrient recovery: Processes that extract valuable compounds, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from waste streams for reuse in fertilisers or feed.
Regulatory management system: An organised set of laws, regulations and policies designed to control and guide fisheries and aquaculture activities.
Ecolabelling: A certification scheme indicating that seafood products meet predefined environmental and social sustainability standards.
References
- Nutrient recovery and recycling from fishery waste and by-products. Journal of Environmental Management (2023).
- Framework assessment of sustainability: Methodology for evaluating the conformance of fishery and aquaculture management systems to FAO guidelines. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation (2024).
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