We are interested in trade-offs between nutritional value, fisheries sustainability, and GHG emissions in the UK seafood sector. Fish and invertebrates are a source of essential dietary nutrients (minerals and vitamins), and many seafood products have lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than most animal-source foods. This suggests seafood can contribute to sustainable, healthy diets. Yet nutrient concentrations vary between species, and GHG emissions can vary between fishing sectors (e.g. trawl or pelagic, domestic or international, wild or farmed). The first objective of our project is to identify seafood products that are both nutritious and low GHG emitters.
In the UK, fishing and aquaculture sectors produce and export a huge diversity of species, from wild pelagic and demersal fishes to farmed salmon and mussels. Many more species are imported, such as tuna. The second objective is to identify which seafood products offer most potential to contribute to sustainable, low-carbon diets in the UK, given current production volumes and trade flows.