This report aims to synthesize the current theory and practice of the blue economy concept to gov... more This report aims to synthesize the current theory and practice of the blue economy concept to govern economic activity linked to the ocean, and to provide a framework for the Government of Bangladesh to analyze its potential. With the peaceful resolution of maritime boundary disputes with its neighbors in 2012 and 2014, the Government has recently defined the ocean space under its jurisdiction and prioritized its use as a key source of future economic growth. The Government has prioritized the use of these spaces as a key source of future growth. However, a number of questions remain in embarking on a policy planning process to achieve Bangladesh’s blue economy aspirations, including measures of the current economic uses of the ocean space, the identification of clear targets for sustainable growth of the use of this space, and a policy pathway to get there. Described as an economic frontier, the term “ocean economy” applies collectively to ocean based industry activities and the as...
Overfishing is one of the persistent environmental challenges of our time. Almost one third of th... more Overfishing is one of the persistent environmental challenges of our time. Almost one third of the world’s assessed commercially exploited marine fish stocks are considered overfished. This report, co-authored by researchers at the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, introduces the idea of a blended capital approach to fill the all-too-common finance gap that may hamper recovery of many fisheries. The report describes the categories of investment required to attain fisheries sustainability at each stage of the recovery process, identifies where within this framework there is likely to be the biggest funding gap, and suggests possible approaches for philanthropic and public capital to leverage private capital to help fill the gap. The authors suggest that if we are able to increase the types and amount of capital available to fund fisheries reform—and utilize one to leverage the others where needed—blended capital approaches may s...
In 2012, the World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center published a review of the economic importance o... more In 2012, the World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center published a review of the economic importance of fisheries entitled Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries. While providing essential information and estimates that are still valid, the analyses would benefit from being refined and updated, and also by including additional dimensions of the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and nutrition, poverty reduction, and the three dimensions of sustainable development more broadly. The intention would be to draw the attention of policy- and decision-makers to the sector’s importance and to promote the required engagement and support to realize the potential of sustainable small-scale fisheries. Such an analysis would also be an important contribution towards monitoring the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), and of the progre...
Fishing for subsistence constitutes a livelihood safety net for poverty, malnutrition and gender ... more Fishing for subsistence constitutes a livelihood safety net for poverty, malnutrition and gender inequality for populations dependent upon aquatic foods around the world. Here we provide global estimates showing that almost the same amount of small-scale fishers engage in subsistence fishing at some point during the year as in commercial employment and use subsistence estimates to measure small-scale fisheries’ livelihood safety net function. In 2016, we estimate that 52.8 million people were engaged in subsistence fishing at some point during the year, while another 60.2 million people were commercially employed (90% of global fisheries employment). From 14 country case studies, it was possible to estimate that the subsistence catch provided an average apparent intake of six nutrients critical for positive health outcomes, equivalent to 26% of the recommended daily nutrient intake for 112.5 million people, higher than the national average contribution of beef or poultry.
Aquatic foods are critical for food and nutrition security in Malawi, but it is unclear which pop... more Aquatic foods are critical for food and nutrition security in Malawi, but it is unclear which populations benefit from different aquatic foods and what factors shape food access. Spatial analysis of food flows across value chains from Lake Malawi to domestic consumers shows that usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) reaches more consumers than chambo (Oreochromis karongae) across all Malawi districts, particularly rural populations. Higher number of markets, nutrient content, and overall supply coupled with lower retail prices and volumes make usipa more accessible to consumers than chambo. Spatial analysis of food flows can guide policymakers towards supporting fisheries that reach vulnerable populations and designing interventions that enhance physical and economic access to fish.
The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global ... more The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this ‘fish as food’ perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities. We argue that the traditional framing of fish as a natural resource emphasizes economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas situating fish within a food systems perspective can lead to innovative policies and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable capture fisheries and aquaculture. This paper highlights four pillars of research needs and policy directions toward this end. Ultimately, recognizing and working to enhance the role of fish in alleviating hunger and malnutrition can provide an additional long-term development incentive, beyond revenue generation and biodiversity conservati...
Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of n... more Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from three sub-Saharan Africa countries (Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda) to investigate how both proximity to and engagement with small-scale fisheries are associated with household poverty and food insecurity. Results from the analysis suggest that households engaged in small-scale fisheries were 9 percentage points less likely to be poor than households engaged only in agriculture. Households living in proximity to small-scale fisheries (average distance 2.7 km) were 12.6 percentage points more likely to achieve adequate food security and were 15 percentage points less likely to be income poor, compared to the most distant households. Households distant from fishing grounds (>5 km) were 1.5 times more likely to consume dried fish compared to households living close. Conserving the flow of benefits from small-scale fisheries is important for meeting the Su...
This Fisheries Sector Approach Paper has been written in recognition of the mounting challenges t... more This Fisheries Sector Approach Paper has been written in recognition of the mounting challenges that the World Bank and the developing world face in meeting the fishery sector-related Millennium Development Goals and the outcomes of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. It augments the Bank's Rural Strategy, Reaching the Rural Poor, which advocates a holistic approach to rural poverty reduction, and support for equitable growth. The paper also builds on the World Bank's Environmental Strategy, Making Sustainable Commitments, a major pillar of which is the protection of the regional and global commons, in addition to the improvement in the quality of life and the quality of growth of the World Bank's clients. The paper treats the needs of the sector in greater depth, focusing in particular on the improvement of the livelihoods of the millions of poor fishers, and the sustainability of the inland and marine regional and global commons, which define the quality ...
The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global ... more The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this ‘fish as food’ perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities. We argue that the traditional framing of fish as a natural resource emphasizes economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas situating fish within a food systems perspective can lead to innovative policies and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable capture fisheries and aquaculture. This paper highlights four pillars of research needs and policy directions toward this end. Ultimately, recognizing and working to enhance the role of fish in alleviating hunger and malnutrition can provide an additional long-term development incentive, beyond revenue generation and biodiversity conservati...
The loss of blue carbon ecosystems results in significant levels of carbon emissions and decrease... more The loss of blue carbon ecosystems results in significant levels of carbon emissions and decreased supply of other ecosystem services. West Africa contains approximately 14% of the world’s mangrove area but despite 25% of coverage loss between 1980 and 2006, the region’s mangroves have not been well studied. This study aims to provide a first step toward increasing the knowledge of the region’s blue carbon stocks, with a focus on mangroves, and of their financial value based on their carbon storage benefit alone. The best available data suggest that the region contains 1.97 million hectares of mangroves storing 854 million metric tons of carbon in above- and below-ground biomass and the top meter of soil; 4.8 million hectares of seagrass storing 673 million metric tons of carbon; and 1.2 million hectares of salt marshes storing 303 million metric tons of carbon. Even without including values for other benefits of intact mangroves, the conservation of mangroves in the region appears ...
This report aims to synthesize the current theory and practice of the blue economy concept to gov... more This report aims to synthesize the current theory and practice of the blue economy concept to govern economic activity linked to the ocean, and to provide a framework for the Government of Bangladesh to analyze its potential. With the peaceful resolution of maritime boundary disputes with its neighbors in 2012 and 2014, the Government has recently defined the ocean space under its jurisdiction and prioritized its use as a key source of future economic growth. The Government has prioritized the use of these spaces as a key source of future growth. However, a number of questions remain in embarking on a policy planning process to achieve Bangladesh’s blue economy aspirations, including measures of the current economic uses of the ocean space, the identification of clear targets for sustainable growth of the use of this space, and a policy pathway to get there. Described as an economic frontier, the term “ocean economy” applies collectively to ocean based industry activities and the as...
Overfishing is one of the persistent environmental challenges of our time. Almost one third of th... more Overfishing is one of the persistent environmental challenges of our time. Almost one third of the world’s assessed commercially exploited marine fish stocks are considered overfished. This report, co-authored by researchers at the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, introduces the idea of a blended capital approach to fill the all-too-common finance gap that may hamper recovery of many fisheries. The report describes the categories of investment required to attain fisheries sustainability at each stage of the recovery process, identifies where within this framework there is likely to be the biggest funding gap, and suggests possible approaches for philanthropic and public capital to leverage private capital to help fill the gap. The authors suggest that if we are able to increase the types and amount of capital available to fund fisheries reform—and utilize one to leverage the others where needed—blended capital approaches may s...
In 2012, the World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center published a review of the economic importance o... more In 2012, the World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center published a review of the economic importance of fisheries entitled Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries. While providing essential information and estimates that are still valid, the analyses would benefit from being refined and updated, and also by including additional dimensions of the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and nutrition, poverty reduction, and the three dimensions of sustainable development more broadly. The intention would be to draw the attention of policy- and decision-makers to the sector’s importance and to promote the required engagement and support to realize the potential of sustainable small-scale fisheries. Such an analysis would also be an important contribution towards monitoring the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), and of the progre...
Fishing for subsistence constitutes a livelihood safety net for poverty, malnutrition and gender ... more Fishing for subsistence constitutes a livelihood safety net for poverty, malnutrition and gender inequality for populations dependent upon aquatic foods around the world. Here we provide global estimates showing that almost the same amount of small-scale fishers engage in subsistence fishing at some point during the year as in commercial employment and use subsistence estimates to measure small-scale fisheries’ livelihood safety net function. In 2016, we estimate that 52.8 million people were engaged in subsistence fishing at some point during the year, while another 60.2 million people were commercially employed (90% of global fisheries employment). From 14 country case studies, it was possible to estimate that the subsistence catch provided an average apparent intake of six nutrients critical for positive health outcomes, equivalent to 26% of the recommended daily nutrient intake for 112.5 million people, higher than the national average contribution of beef or poultry.
Aquatic foods are critical for food and nutrition security in Malawi, but it is unclear which pop... more Aquatic foods are critical for food and nutrition security in Malawi, but it is unclear which populations benefit from different aquatic foods and what factors shape food access. Spatial analysis of food flows across value chains from Lake Malawi to domestic consumers shows that usipa (Engraulicypris sardella) reaches more consumers than chambo (Oreochromis karongae) across all Malawi districts, particularly rural populations. Higher number of markets, nutrient content, and overall supply coupled with lower retail prices and volumes make usipa more accessible to consumers than chambo. Spatial analysis of food flows can guide policymakers towards supporting fisheries that reach vulnerable populations and designing interventions that enhance physical and economic access to fish.
The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global ... more The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this ‘fish as food’ perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities. We argue that the traditional framing of fish as a natural resource emphasizes economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas situating fish within a food systems perspective can lead to innovative policies and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable capture fisheries and aquaculture. This paper highlights four pillars of research needs and policy directions toward this end. Ultimately, recognizing and working to enhance the role of fish in alleviating hunger and malnutrition can provide an additional long-term development incentive, beyond revenue generation and biodiversity conservati...
Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of n... more Poverty and food insecurity persist in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a secondary analysis of nationally representative data from three sub-Saharan Africa countries (Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda) to investigate how both proximity to and engagement with small-scale fisheries are associated with household poverty and food insecurity. Results from the analysis suggest that households engaged in small-scale fisheries were 9 percentage points less likely to be poor than households engaged only in agriculture. Households living in proximity to small-scale fisheries (average distance 2.7 km) were 12.6 percentage points more likely to achieve adequate food security and were 15 percentage points less likely to be income poor, compared to the most distant households. Households distant from fishing grounds (>5 km) were 1.5 times more likely to consume dried fish compared to households living close. Conserving the flow of benefits from small-scale fisheries is important for meeting the Su...
This Fisheries Sector Approach Paper has been written in recognition of the mounting challenges t... more This Fisheries Sector Approach Paper has been written in recognition of the mounting challenges that the World Bank and the developing world face in meeting the fishery sector-related Millennium Development Goals and the outcomes of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. It augments the Bank's Rural Strategy, Reaching the Rural Poor, which advocates a holistic approach to rural poverty reduction, and support for equitable growth. The paper also builds on the World Bank's Environmental Strategy, Making Sustainable Commitments, a major pillar of which is the protection of the regional and global commons, in addition to the improvement in the quality of life and the quality of growth of the World Bank's clients. The paper treats the needs of the sector in greater depth, focusing in particular on the improvement of the livelihoods of the millions of poor fishers, and the sustainability of the inland and marine regional and global commons, which define the quality ...
The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global ... more The international development community is off-track from meeting targets for alleviating global malnutrition. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines that fish plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security. However, this ‘fish as food’ perspective has yet to translate into policy and development funding priorities. We argue that the traditional framing of fish as a natural resource emphasizes economic development and biodiversity conservation objectives, whereas situating fish within a food systems perspective can lead to innovative policies and investments that promote nutrition-sensitive and socially equitable capture fisheries and aquaculture. This paper highlights four pillars of research needs and policy directions toward this end. Ultimately, recognizing and working to enhance the role of fish in alleviating hunger and malnutrition can provide an additional long-term development incentive, beyond revenue generation and biodiversity conservati...
The loss of blue carbon ecosystems results in significant levels of carbon emissions and decrease... more The loss of blue carbon ecosystems results in significant levels of carbon emissions and decreased supply of other ecosystem services. West Africa contains approximately 14% of the world’s mangrove area but despite 25% of coverage loss between 1980 and 2006, the region’s mangroves have not been well studied. This study aims to provide a first step toward increasing the knowledge of the region’s blue carbon stocks, with a focus on mangroves, and of their financial value based on their carbon storage benefit alone. The best available data suggest that the region contains 1.97 million hectares of mangroves storing 854 million metric tons of carbon in above- and below-ground biomass and the top meter of soil; 4.8 million hectares of seagrass storing 673 million metric tons of carbon; and 1.2 million hectares of salt marshes storing 303 million metric tons of carbon. Even without including values for other benefits of intact mangroves, the conservation of mangroves in the region appears ...
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