Abstract
Abstract
Efforts to achieve sustainable food systems are impeded by inefficiencies associated with the use of agricultural land and resources to grow feed for animals, rather than food for direct consumption by people. In contrast, the unspoken assumption about fisheries, which are a key source of protein and micronutrients, is that they are inherently net-positive producers of food, as they appear to require no intentional inputs of resources that could otherwise be directly consumed by people. However, this assumption may not hold true for all fisheries. One such fishery is the Maine fishery for American lobster (Homarus americanus), which for decades has used substantial amounts of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) as bait in its traps. Here, we evaluate the Maine lobster fishery’s production of a suite of nutrients both before and after consideration of its use of Atlantic herring as bait. Despite several sources of uncertainty, our results indicate that the Maine lobster fishery has likely been a net consumer of multiple nutrients in recent years. This stems from both the scale of herring bait use in the lobster fishery, and from herring’s comparatively high edible biomass yield and nutrient content. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a fishery consuming more nutrients, through bait, than it produces through landings. Identifying and addressing such inefficiencies will ensure that fisheries contribute to sustainable food production.
Funder
Killam Trusts
University of British Columbia
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of British Columbia
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,General Environmental Science,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Reference29 articles.
1. Magnuson-Stevens act provisions; fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic herring fishery; framework adjustment 6 and the 2019–2021 Atlantic herring fishery specifications,2020
2. Stock assessment overview: American lobster, 2020,2020
3. Atlantic herring: commercial and recreational fisheries,2022
4. Redefining agricultural yields: from tonnes to people nourished per hectare;Cassidy;Environ. Res. Lett.,2013
5. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services;Diaz,2019
Cited by
3 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献