“SEACHANGE”Sea for change - Increasing production and consumption of sustainable seafood in Sweden

Producing healthy food for a growing world population without increasing the pressure on the planet’s ecosystems is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Seafood could play an increasingly important role for global food supply due to its attractive health profile and comparatively resource efficient means of production. However, the environmental performance of capture fisheries and aquaculture needs to be improved if the seafood sector is to reach its full potential. In the SEACHANGE project we will assess the environmental sustainability and health profile of key seafood species and production systems of high relevance for the Swedish market. A specific focus will be on evaluating emerging innovative fishing or aquaculture operations with a clear sustainability profile since these could lead the way towards better practices and also create employment opportunities in the seafood sector. Environmental impacts such as global warming, eutrophication, acidification and land-use will be evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Drivers and barriers for increased consumption of sustainable and healthy seafood will also be investigated and the role of eco-certification and other policy tools in improving production practices assessed. In addition, we will evaluate and develop novel measures for transforming current seafood consumption towards sustainability. The roles of large supply chain actors in stimulating better production methods and responsible consumption will be investigated and the potential to use behavioural “nudges” to change consumer behaviour explored. Finally we aim at translating and communicating the complex environmental information on production systems generated from the project to the Swedish seafood guide being directed towards consumers and other relevant supply chain actors. The interdisciplinary project group together with public and private partners, including the EAT-foundation, Vegafish and WWF, will ensure that the project maximise societal value. Results from SEACHANGE will shed light on possible routes for Swedish seafood production and consumption of seafood to reach environmental sustainability. Increased knowledge on effective mechanisms in improving the environmental performance of fisheries and aquaculture will be of great importance for stimulating change, both in Sweden and globally.