The carrying capacity of the seas and oceans for future sustainable food production: Current scientific knowledge gaps

Our study explores four alternative options open to increase marine food production: (1) manipulating the entire food web structure, (2) harvesting so far unexploited stocks, (3) low-trophic mariculture of seaweeds and herbivorous animals, and (4) restoration of impoverished coastal ecosystems or artificially increasing productivity by ecological engineering. We discuss for all these four options the scientific knowledge needed to assess their sustainability. AbstractThe expected increase in global food demand, as a consequence of a rising and wealthier world population, and an awareness of the limits and drawbacks of modern agriculture, has resulted in a growing attention to the potential of the seas and oceans to produce more food. The capture production of presently exploited marine fish stocks and other species has more or less reached its maximum and can only be slightly improved by better management. This leaves four alternative options open to increase marine food production: (1) manipulating the entire food web structure via removal of high trophic level species to allow an increasing exploitation of low trophic level species, (2) harvesting so far unexploited stocks, such as various fish species from the mesopelagic zone of the ocean or the larger zooplankton species from polar regions, (3) low-trophic mariculture of seaweeds and herbivorous animals, and (4) restoration of impoverished coastal ecosystems or artificially increasing productivity by ecological engineeri...

Source: Food and Energy Security - June 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Jaap Meer, Myriam Callier, Gianna Fabi, Luc Hoof, J. Rasmus Nielsen, Sa ša Raicevich Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research