David C Little

University of Stirling · Institute of Aquaculture

Evidence is presented that innovation across aquaculture value chains can contribute to poverty reduction through income generation and increased consumption of nutritious aquatic foods. Innovation is defined and contextualized in relation to aquaculture development. Opportunities for aquaculture innovation across value chains for poverty reduction...

Aquaculture has, over the last decades, grown faster than any other animal production sector and today supplies half of the world’s finfish. Simultaneously the growth of the import of Asian aquatic products into the EU has increased steadily. Current EU policy supporting international trade between Asia and Europe concentrates on issues of food saf...

Background This study developed and validated an integrated metric that enhances understanding of linkages between agro-ecological and socio-economic factors that are important for explaining nutritional wellbeing in relation to fish consumption; especially among adolescent girls who are at risk of nutritional deficiency in Bangladesh. Currently, t...

Blue foods, sourced in aquatic environments, are important for the economies, livelihoods, nutritional security and cultures of people in many nations. They are often nutrient rich¹, generate lower emissions and impacts on land and water than many terrestrial meats², and contribute to the health³, wellbeing and livelihoods of many rural communities...

The southwest coastal belt of Bangladesh is characterized by a fresh and saline water interaction which gives rise to a discrete inter-saline freshwater convergence zone (ICZ). Hydrology and farming along this transition zone is influenced by upstream and downstream abiotic factors including salinity intrusion and water flow. To better understand t...

Blue foods play a central role in food and nutrition security for billions of people and are a cornerstone of the livelihoods, economies, and cultures of many coastal and riparian communities. Blue foods are extraordinarily diverse, are often rich in essential micronutrients and fatty acids, and can be produced in ways that are more environmentally...

Asia accounts for over 70% of total global aquatic food consumption, but aquatic food consumption behaviours and attitudes among Asian consumers are poorly documented and understood. This paper synthesises literature on factors influencing aquatic food consumption behaviour in Asia and the potential to support transitions toward more sustainable fo...

Globally, the nutritionally enriched fish powder is gaining attention for the fabrication of functional or value-added foods that could contribute to reducing malnutrition. Therefore, fish powders prepared from whole, gutted, and muscle of anchovy (Coilia dussumieri) and sardine (Sardinella fimbriata) and their proximate composition , concentration...

Marine ingredients are still regarded as a vital constituent of aquaculture and other livestock feeds. Despite numerous publications that have discussed the sustainability issues, there are few sources that provide detailed information that allow for quantification of marine ingredient environmental impact. A Life Cycle Inventory was compiled from...

Blue foods play a central role in food and nutrition security for billions of people and are a cornerstone of the livelihoods, economies, and cultures of many coastal and riparian communities. Blue foods are extraordinarily diverse, are often rich in essential micronutrients and fatty acids, and can often be produced in ways that are more environme...

In recent years, insect meal has received considerable attention as an alternative ingredient for aquaculture feeds. When insects are reared on underutilised biomass streams, the resulting meal can potentially offer a reduced environmental impact compared to fishmeal and soybean meal. However, due to legislative restrictions, insects are commonly r...

Aquatic animals are diverse in terms of species, but also in terms of production, the people involved, and the benefits achieved. In this concept piece, we draw on literature to outline how the diversity of aquatic animals, their production, and their consumption all influence their impact within the food system. Built on evidence from an array of...

This study tested the efficacy of a pond polyculture intervention with farming households in northern Zambia. Longitudinal data on fish consumption and the associated nutrient intake of households (N = 57) were collected over a six-month period (September 2019–March 2020). One group of people tested the intervention while another group that practic...

All-male tilapia stocks are widely used by farmers to supply both domestic and international markets with homogenous, large sized fish (500 g+). While a number of strategies are possible, hormonal treatment of fry with 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) is the most common method used by commercial farmers due to its low cost and ease of application. Howev...

Poor understanding of market demand is a key factor in the recurrent failure of many production-orientated aquaculture interventions. In the Dry-Zone of Sri Lanka stocking-based fisheries enhancements in small-scale reservoirs have been promoted by the State since the 1980's with no evidence of sustainable adoption. Through an evaluation of positiv...

Efficiency assessments of marine ingredient use in aquaculture are required to fully understand their con- tribution to global seafood supply and their impacts on all UN Sustainable Development Goals. Fish In: Fish Out (FIFO) ratios have become the principal metric used to ensure aquaculture does not negatively impact wild fish stocks. However, sev...

The development of water management infrastructures, such as dams and canals, are important components of society’s response to feed a growing human population and to fight climate change. Yet, these changes in land use can also increase the transmission risk for waterborne diseases. Transmission risk associated with artificial reservoirs has been...

The contribution of seafood to global food security is being increasingly highlighted in policy. However, the extent to which such claims are supported in the current food security literature is unclear. This review assesses the extent to which seafood is represented in the recent food security literature, both individually and from a food systems...

Export-orientated shrimp and prawn farming in coastal ghers has been associated with negative environmental, social, and nutritional impacts. This study challenges these perceptions based on field observations from four communities in South West Bangladesh. Most households observed (>60%) were either directly involved in seafood farming or engaged...

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sust...

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sust...

Sustainability analyses of aquaculture typically ignore the fate and value of processing by-products. The aim of this study was to characterise the nutritional content of the common processing by-products (heads, frames, trimmings, skin, and viscera) of five important finfish species farmed in Europe; Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), European seabass...

Sustainability analyses of aquaculture typically ignore the fate and value of processing by-products. The aim of this study was to characterise the nutritional content of the common processing by-products (heads, frames, trimmings, skin, and viscera) of five important finfish species farmed in Europe; Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), European seabass...

Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type (‘seafood’ or ‘fish’)1–4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to...

Two on-farm juvenile performance trials were conducted at a hatchery in Bangladesh to compare a genetically improved strain of farmed Nile tilapia (GIFT) and a local strain (LS) produced by commercial operators. A 21-day early nursing trial was conducted in five replicate hapas followed by a 27-day advanced nursing trial in six replicate hapas. The...

p>The original version of this Article contained errors in the author affiliations. The affiliation of Malin Jonell and Beatrice Crona with Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden was inadvertently omitted. The affiliation of Malin Jonell with Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, The Royal Swedish Academy of Scienc...

Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (SSFA) provide livelihoods for over 100 million people and sustenance for ~1 billion people, particularly in the Global South. Aquatic foods are distributed through diverse supply chains, with the potential to be highly adaptable to stresses and shocks, but face a growing range of threats and adaptive challenge...

Numerous studies have focused on the need to expand production of ‘blue foods’, defined as aquatic foods captured or cultivated in marine and freshwater systems, to meet rising population- and income-driven demand. Here we analyze the roles of economic, demographic, and geographic factors and preferences in shaping blue food demand, using secondary...

Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (SSFA) provide livelihoods for over 100 million people and sustenance for ~1 billion people, particularly in the Global South. Aquatic foods are distributed through diverse supply chains, with the potential to be highly adaptable to stresses and shocks, but face a growing range of threats and adaptive challenge...

EU aquaculture produces only a small fraction of the internal demand of aquatic foods, but boosting this activity must be done in compliance with high standards of environmental protection and social benefits, as fostered by the policies on circular economy recently launched by the EU. Nevertheless, the assessment of the environmental sustainabilit...

The COVID-19 pandemic is a shock affecting all areas of the global food system. We tracked the impacts of COVID-19 and associated policy responses on the availability and price of aquatic foods and production inputs during 2020, using a high frequency longitudinal survey of 768 respondents in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Myanmar, Nigeria. We found the...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03508-0.

The pressure on scarce freshwater resources from intensifying human activity is rising across the globe. This study presents the case of Jatiluhur - Indonesia's largest reservoir, where unregulated aquaculture expansion has contributed to environmental degradation and associated conflicts with other water-users. Aiming to identify a strategy to imp...

Antibiotics are used in aquaculture to maintain the health and welfare of stocks; however, the emergence and selection of antibiotic resistance in bacteria poses threats to humans, animals and the environment. Mitigation of antibiotic resistance relies on understanding the flow of antibiotics, residues, resistant bacteria and resistance genes throu...

The sustainability of aquaculture has been debated intensely since 2000, when a review on the net contribution of aquaculture to world fish supplies was published in Nature. This paper reviews the developments in global aquaculture from 1997 to 2017, incorporating all industry sub-sectors and highlighting the integration of aquaculture in the globa...

Trends in aquatic food consumption were matched against farm production surveys within Hubei province and compared to official production data and statistics. Surveys showed that consumer tastes were changing to a much broader aquatic food menu as their spending power increased. Traditional aquaculture species were becoming less profitable due to r...

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns are creating health and economic crises that threaten food and nutrition security. The seafood sector provides important sources of nutrition and employment, especially in low-income countries, and is highly globalized, allowing shocks to propagate. We studied COVID-19-related disruptions, impacts, and...

Recent literature on marine fish farming brands it as potentially compatible with sustainable resource use, conservation, and human nutrition goals, and aligns with the emerging policy discourse of ‘blue growth’. We advance a two-pronged critique. First, contemporary narratives tend to overstate marine finfish aquaculture’s potential to deliver foo...

Aquaculture and horticulture are interlinked and both of these agricultural components have considerable importance in the economy of Bangladesh. Most people in this country depend on fish as the principal source of animal protein. Vegetables are also considered by Bangladeshi people as important food items and as a source of micronutrients. Ponds,...

This document aims to provide an overall picture of the status of the implementation of processes related to circular economy in EU aquaculture, under current regulatory framework regarding aspects of health and safety, commercialisation and environmental protection. Opportunities for the valorisation of inputs from other processes to aquaculture a...

The maturation and reproduction of Pacific whiteleg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, through the practice of unilateral eyestalk ablation though common is an animal welfare concern. This study assessed the resilience of offspring from non-ablated P. vannamei when challenged with an isolate of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) causing acute hepatopancreatic nec...

EU funded #EURASTIP (2017-2019) attempted to translate tech and innovation platforms from Europe to the Asian context. We examined how this translation process affects the form and function of these platforms. We found this translation process to be of a non-linear and pluriform nature. The paper reports on the results of a guided reflection with k...

Global demand for freshwater and marine foods (i.e., seafood) is rising and an increasing proportion is farmed. Aquaculture encompasses a range of species and cultivation methods, resulting in diverse social, economic, nutritional, and environmental outcomes. As a result, how aquaculture develops will influence human wellbeing and environmental hea...

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns are creating health and economic crises that threaten food and nutrition security. The seafood sector provides important sources of employment and nutrition, especially in low-income countries, and is highly globalized, allowing shocks to propagate internationally. We use a resilience ‘action cycle’ fr...

Efficiency assessments of marine ingredient use in aquaculture are required to fully understand their contribution to global seafood supply and their impacts on all UN Sustainable Development Goals. Fish In: Fish Out (FIFO) ratios have become the principal metric used to ensure aquaculture does not negatively impact wild fish stocks. However, sever...

For aquaculture to continue along its current growth trajectory and contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, value chains must become more inclusive. Smallholders and other local value chain actors are often constrained by circumstances and market failures in the global aquaculture industry. Integrating these actors into aqua...

The larvae of black soldier fly (BSF) have shown great promise in transforming organic wastes into a more valuable larval biomass. Importantly, after insects have been harvested the remaining by-product, comprised of the spent substrate and frass (insect faeces), has the potential to be used as a biofertiliser. Three field-scale experiments to inve...

The dominant sustainable seafood narrative is one where developed world markets catalyze practice improvements by fisheries and aquaculture producers that enhance ocean health. The narrow framing of seafood sustainability in terms of aquaculture or fisheries management and ocean health has contributed to the omission of these important food product...

China is the world's largest capture fisheries and aquaculture producer. Over recent decades, China's domestic marine catch composition has changed markedly, from large volumes of a few high‐valued food species to multiple, small, low‐valued, species, a significant proportion of which is primarily used as animal, especially fish, feed. Despite the...

Objective Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors in many low-income and food-deficit countries with aquatic ecozones. Yet its specific impact on nutrition and livelihood in local communities, where commercial and/or export-orientated aquaculture activities are developed, is largely unknown. Design The present narrative a...

This paper re-evaluates the contributions to global food supplies of ‘aquatic animal-source food’ from aquaculture and capture fisheries, and ‘terrestrial animal-source food’ from livestock farming. Three common misunderstandings in the scientific and policy literature are addressed: (1) aquaculture was the fastest growing food production sector ov...

This study evaluated reproductive performance of non-ablated Litopenaeus vannamei and the quality of their offspring under commercial conditions. Five tanks were stocked with non-ablated female and other five with ablated individuals as control. Two different larval rearing trials (Larviculture I and II) have been conducted. Six larviculture tanks...

Sustainable development is an overarching objective that requires an interdisciplinary approach in order to address the societal challenge concerning climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials. In this context, valorization of abundant and available bio-wastes with high potential to manufacture value-added products is the fi...

Aquaculture is receiving increased attention from a variety of stakeholders. This is largely due to its current role in the global food system of supplying more than half of the seafood consumed, and also because the industry continues to steadily expand (UN Food and Agriculture Organization 2018). A recent article in Environmental Research Letters...

The numbers of alerts from the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) related to crustacean products were compared to numbers of mainstream media stories related to health concerns. An internet search of “farmed shrimp” was also conducted and the content of the websites assessed for subject matter and balance. The study found that the ab...

Isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VpAHPND) that carry a plasmid encoding two Pir-like toxins cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), a disease that has caused devastating economic losses to the shrimp industry, particularly in Asia. However, lower prevalence of AHPND infection has been associated with farms that operate with biofl...

This paper introduces a special issue of Aquaculture that brings together the largest collection of research on aquaculture value chains compiled to date, comprising 19 individual papers and this introductory review. The introduction identifies five themes emerging from research on aquaculture value chains in the special issue, namely: multi-polari...

Purpose The European Union relies on seafood imports to supply growing demand that European production has failed to meet. Politically motivated media reports have denigrated competing imports in favour of local production. While life cycle assessment (LCA) measures global impact of value chains, it often fails to contextualise them. Using LCA, thi...

Since 2000, the use of wild fish inputs in the production of farm raised fish outputs, also known as the Fish In:Fish Out (FI:FO) ratio, has been a primary concern of the sustainability dialogue surrounding aquaculture production. Far less attention has been placed on the sustainability of downstream processing, including how byproducts are managed...

The importance of global trade in farmed seafood has been vastly overstated. The vast majority of farmed fish is consumed in the same developing countries where it is produced and is widely accessible to poorer consumers in these markets. Most of it comes from a dynamic new class of small- and medium-scale commercial farms, the existence of which i...

Sustainable intensification (SI) is defined and interpreted in terms of a framework to support production of farmed aquatic animals in Asia and their trade with Europe. A novel holistic perspective to value chain analysis, informed by a range of sustainability tools, is used to explain the dynamic in the trade that is having significant impacts on...