Latest research finds farmed seafood industry will miss consumer demands by around a fifth by 2050 and drive further biodiversity loss unless it changes.

At least $55bn is needed to help transition companies, but most aquaculture companies cannot afford this on their own. According to Planet Tracker’s new report Avoiding Aquafailure, even in the most optimistic scenario of improving current aquaculture practices, a supply gap will still exist, meaning change is critical.

Technological solutions such as farming seafood offshore or in land or growing fish in labs could contribute up to 5 million additional tonnes of seafood by 2050, but embracing regenerative aquaculture could produce an additional 45 million tonnes of seafood and meet growing demand, Planet Tracker finds. Regenerative aquaculture refers to the production of food from the sea such as many bivalves (e.g. oysters, mussels and clams) and seaweed species that provide benefits to the ecosystem – for instance water filtering or carbon sequestration.

It is estimated that it will take at least $55bn in capital expenditure to finance this transition, which most aquaculture companies cannot afford without external investment.

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