Safeguarding Seafood Security, Marine Biodiversity and Threatened Species: Can We Have Our Fish and Eat It too?

Tamlin Jefferson,Maria L D Palomares,Carolyn J Lundquist

doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.826587

Abstract

The ocean contains an abundance of biodiversity that is vital to global food security. However, marine biodiversity is declining. Marine protected areas and marine reserves have been used to protect biodiversity, conserve threatened species and rebuild exploited species, but are perceived as restrictive to fishing, which has slowed progress towards ocean protection targets. Here, we perform a spatial prioritisation of the ocean to protect biodiversity, threatened species and food security. Food security was quantified using catch in tonnes per km2, per 0.5-degree cell of the ocean, using data from the Sea Around Us, a global database of industrial, artisanal, subsistence, and recreational fishing catches. Using Representative Biodiversity Areas [RBAs (the top 30% of the ocean based on holistic measures of biodiversity)], maps of 974 threatened species, and catch data for 2,170 exploited species, we find that these multiple, competing objectives are achievable with minimal compromise. Protecting 30% of the ocean using a multi-objective solution could protect 89% of RBAs, 89% of threatened species and maintain access to fishing grounds that provide 89% of global catch. Even when prioritising food security above conservation objectives we find significant protection for biodiversity and threatened species (85% RBAs, 73% threatened species). We highlight four exploited species for improved management, as they are consistently caught in areas of high conservation importance (skipjack tuna,Katsuwonus pelamis; yellowfin tuna,Thunnus albacares; Atlantic cod,Gadus morhua; Chilean jack mackerel,Trachurus murphyi). We show that a globally coordinated approach to marine conservation and food security is necessary, as regional scale strategies are shown to be less efficient and may result in conflict between food security and conservation objectives. Our results add support for calls to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, and show where protection would best protect food security and conserve biodiversity and threatened species.

Highlights

Covering two thirds of the planet, the marine realm supports the abundance and diversity of all life on Earth
Based on a precautionary approach, we investigate whether assuring food security, conserving biodiversity and protecting threatened species is possible without stock recovery assumptions
Using the ArcGIS local tool, “Combine,” and the extraction tool, “Sample,” we compared the overlap of global catch with two different biodiversity prioritisations from previous research, Representative Biodiversity Areas (RBAs) from Zhao et al (2020) and areas of highest ecological importance (RBAs and 30% of each threatened species range) from Jefferson et al (2021). These analyses showed that places of highest importance to biodiversity overlapped with areas that provide almost two thirds of catch by weight (62.0%), and that areas important to both threatened species and biodiversity account for 87.2% of catch

Summary

Introduction

Covering two thirds of the planet, the marine realm supports the abundance and diversity of all life on Earth. The world’s oceans help regulate the temperature of the planet (Costanza, 1999; Griffis and Howard, 2013), sequester an estimated 2.4 billion of tonnes of atmospheric carbon each year (Watson et al, 2020), and provide a myriad of provisions, services and cultural benefits vital to human health (Barbier, 2017; Lillebø et al, 2017; Townsend et al, 2018). Global catch peaked in 1996 and overfishing continues throughout the world’s oceans (Costello et al, 2016; Pauly and Zeller, 2016; Froese et al, 2018; Watson and Tidd, 2018; FAO, 2020; Britten et al, 2021). The decline of marine species and habitats has led to large reductions in species populations, and many species that were once numerous are threatened with extinction (Baum and Myers, 2004; Lotze and Worm, 2009; McCauley et al, 2015; Young and Carlson, 2020; Yan et al, 2021)

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