Is there a blue transition underway?

In this study, we describe what we term a Blue Transition, defined as the passage from fish biomass reduction to recovery in exploited aquatic resources, enabled by aquaculture. A Blue Transition is a key component of emergent “blue” discourses which support that the expansion of aquaculture would r...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Fish and fisheries (Oxford, England) England), 2019-05, Vol.20 (3), p.584-595
Main Authors: Nahuelhual, Laura, Defeo, Omar, Vergara, Ximena, Blanco, Gustavo, Marín, Sandra L., Bozzeda, Fabio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquaculture
Aquaculture development
Aquaculture products
blue growth
blue revolution
Capture fisheries
Chile
ecological modernization
Fish
Fisheries
fisheries governance
Fisheries management
Fishery management
Food
Food security
Freshwater fishes
Landing statistics
Sustainable fisheries
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this study, we describe what we term a Blue Transition, defined as the passage from fish biomass reduction to recovery in exploited aquatic resources, enabled by aquaculture. A Blue Transition is a key component of emergent “blue” discourses which support that the expansion of aquaculture would relieve pressure on declining capture fisheries, thus contributing to global food security, particularly of the poorest populations. Based on global secondary data and the case of Chile, we explore the evidence of such claim and the implications of a Blue Transition for fisheries and aquaculture development. In 2012, worldwide aquaculture production surpassed wild captures; nevertheless, such turnaround would have not taken place without China's contribution. In Chile, this turnaround occurred in 2014, concurrently with the lowest industrial landings registered since the 1960s (1,227,359 tons). Chile's aquaculture is not relieving wild fisheries or satisfying food demands of the lower income population, in the country or elsewhere. Salmon, the main aquaculture product, is destined mainly to Japan, Russia and United States where, due to its high prices, it is consumed mostly by wealthy consumers. For the case at hand, evidence suggests that a blue transition may be underway but is going in the wrong direction: from what may have been sustainable fisheries management before the 1970s to the overexploited wild fisheries of today.
ISSN:1467-2960
1467-2979
DOI:10.1111/faf.12354