Micronutrient supply from global marine fisheries under climate change and overfishing

Eva Maire, Nicholas A.J. Graham, M. Aaron MacNeil, Vicky W.Y. Lam, James P.W. Robinson, William W.L. Cheung, Christina C. Hicks

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fish are rich in bioavailable micronutrients, such as zinc and iron, deficiencies of which are a global food security concern.1,2 Global marine fisheries yields are threatened by climate change and overfishing,3,4 yet understanding of how these stressors affect the nutrients available from fisheries is lacking.5,6 Here, using global assessments of micronutrient content2 and fisheries catch data,7 we investigate how the vulnerability status of marine fish species8,9 may translate into vulnerability of micronutrient availability at scales of both individual species and entire fishery assemblages for 157 countries. We further quantify the micronutrient evenness of catches to identify countries where interventions can optimize micronutrient supply. Our global analysis, including >800 marine fish species, reveals that, at a species level, micronutrient availability and vulnerability to both climate change and overfishing varies greatly, with tropical species displaying a positive co-tolerance, indicating greater persistence to both stressors at a community level.10 Global fisheries catches had relatively low nutritional vulnerability to fishing. Catches with higher species richness tend to be nutrient dense and evenly distributed but are more vulnerable to climate change, with 40% of countries displaying high vulnerability. Countries with high prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intake tend to have the most nutrient-dense catches, but these same fisheries are highly vulnerable to climate change, with relatively lower capacity to adapt.11 Our analysis highlights the need to consolidate fisheries, climate, and food policies to secure the sustainable contribution of fish-derived micronutrients to food and nutrition security.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4132-4138.e3
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume31
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 27 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by a European Research Council starting grant (ERC grant number: 759457 ), Lancaster University , a Royal Society Research Fellowship ( URF\R\201029 ), a Philip Leverhulme Prize from the Leverhulme Trust , the NSERC Canada Research Chairs Program , a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship, and the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada ( RGPIN-2018-03864 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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