Oceans & Food
Our food systems will need to feed 9 billion people by 2050, but food from oceans, rivers, and lakes—also known as blue food—is often overlooked in potential solutions. Land use change, nutrient inputs from agriculture, and increasing demand for animal protein are all likely to place additional stress on blue food systems and affect their productivity.
Together with Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University, and EAT, we created the Blue Food Assessment, an international effort to put blue food in the center of the global food policy agenda. The Blue Food Assessment brought together more than 100 leading researchers from more than 25 institutions around the world and was the first comprehensive review of aquatic foods and their roles in the global food system.
In addition to publishing eight peer-reviewed papers in various Springer-Nature journals, the team presented a synthesis for policymakers at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021 to help governments, companies, and consumers make more informed decisions to shape the future of food from the ocean. The Blue Food Assessment also provided a foundation for new research efforts, including evaluating blue foods in climate strategies, national and regional assessments, and building a global network of blue food researchers.
Explore our work

Blue Food Futures Program
Strengthening blue food science, policy, and community around the world
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Blue foods for Indonesia
Developing analyses to inform policies that improve nutrition, food security, and livelihoods
Learn moreRelated News & Media
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Blue foods provide healthy haul to combat hunger — but scaling up could prove tricky
"There’s huge potential in blue foods, but it really depends on how they are managed," said Engagement Project Manager Laura Anderson.
June 13, 2025
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Sustainable production of marine resources is key to global food security
Co-director Fiorenza Micheli talks with El Mercurio about why it's essential to invest in food security and the sustainable development of seafood.
June 02, 2025
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Stanford researchers reimagine the future of food
Dozens of faculty members at Stanford are working to transform the way the world grows, distributes, and consumes food.
March 14, 2025
Related Publications
- Global SSF Intermediary Collective, . (2025). How Can We Secure Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries Beyond the Catch?. A Thought Piece for the Blue Economy Finance Forum and UN Ocean Conference. https://heyzine.com/flip-book/f53c1d9c79.html#page/1
- Andrew, N., Aisea, L., Arachchi, N., & et al, . (2025). The Pacific foodfish list: a standardized list of over 1000 species of marine fish consumed by Pacific people. Pacific Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1071/PC24082
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, ., WorldFish, ., the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ., Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, ., CARE, ., & Environmental Defense Fund, . (2024). Integrating blue foods into national climate strategies: Enhancing nationally determined contributions and strengthening climate action. Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions. https://stanford.io/4eJYBHx
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