NEW YORK—The Dutch Government and The Rockefeller Foundation announced on Thursday, April 23, their pledge of funding support to WorldFish and the Earth Observatory of Singapore to produce a road map for the future of fish.
WorldFish will develop a framework to help define the quantitative goals for a sustainable fish food system that fully meets global needs in 2030 and beyond. Fish provides more than a billion people with over 50 percent of their animal sourced food and is a key component of a balanced diet for many more. But the challenges of supplying sufficient fish in a world with growing demand requires concerted effort guided by a clear plan.
Over the next 8 months, WorldFish will work with FAO and other partners from industry, academia and the NGO community to assess these possible futures for the fish food system.
Dr. Fred Boltz, managing director for ecosystems at The Rockefeller Foundation, explains: “If you want to get somewhere in the oceans, you need the right navigation charts. WorldFish will chart potential pathways to meet our growing demand for fish through improvements in sustainable wild catch and aquaculture. Fisheries are too important, particularly as a source of both food and livelihood for millions of poor and vulnerable people, to leave the future to chance.”
Sharon Dijksma, the minister for agriculture for the Netherlands says: “The global community needs to come up urgently with smarter solutions for healthy oceans, now threatened by over fishing, climate change and pollution. This smart initiative is one step in the right direction for millions of people who are depending on fish for food and income. Let’s take this step to chart fish together with public and private partners. This is the kind of action we need to solve our challenges.”
Stephen Hall, director general of WorldFish says: “Getting to our preferred Blue Growth future by 2030, which we have called “Eden”, requires a clearer picture of what our needs are and what levers we can pull to help us get there. That’s going to include reducing waste, improving wild catches by managing fisheries better, and increasing aquaculture production in sustainable and equitable ways that limit environmental impacts and deliver benefits for the world’s poorest. We will need to find a way to achieve ‘Eden’ efficiently and equitably.”
For more information please contact:
Carey Meyers:
Associate Director, Communications
The Rockefeller Foundation
Email: CMeyers@rockfound.org
Tel: +1-212-852-8486
Diane Shohet
Director, Communications and Marketing, WorldFish
Email: d.shohet@cgiar.org
Tel: +6-017-474-8606
About The Rockefeller Foundation
For more than 100 years, The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission has been to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Today, The Rockefeller Foundation pursues this mission through dual goals: advancing inclusive economies that expand opportunities for more broadly shared prosperity, and building resilience by helping people, communities and institutions prepare for, withstand, and emerge stronger from acute shocks and chronic stresses. To achieve these goals, The Rockefeller Foundation works at the intersection of four focus areas—advance health, revalue ecosystems, secure livelihoods, and transform cities—to address the root causes of emerging challenges and create systemic change. Together with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, create unlikely partnerships that span sectors, and take risks others cannot—or will not. To learn more, please visit www.rockefellerfoundation.org.
About WorldFish
WorldFish is an international, nonprofit research organization committed to reducing poverty and hunger through fisheries and aquaculture.