Diving Deep: Understanding the State of Aquaculture and Fisheries Funding

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, about half of the world’s current seafood production comes from aquaculture and the other half comes from wild fisheries. Seeking to better understand existing efforts in philanthropy around fisheries and the rising field of aquaculture, GRACE Communications Foundation has partnered with the EGA on a report, drawing on data from EGA’s Tracking the Field database to analyze EGA members’ funding in these areas.

This report dives deep into over $500 million in aquaculture and fisheries grants made between 2016 and 2021, revealing gaps in the geographic and issue focuses. It examines funding supporting different aquaculture methods like open-ocean aquaculture and on-land recirculating aquaculture; seafood market strategies like local seafood supply chains, seafood certification, and transparency & traceability. It also analyzes the funding given to various aspects of sustainable fisheries management, including fishing community engagement, tribal fisheries and fisheries management policies & research. Access the report here: https://ega.org/ttf/aquaculture-fisheries-report

Speakers will provide valuable context around fisheries and aquaculture, discuss report findings, and comment on philanthropic efforts toward more just and sustainable seafood systems, as well as the necessity of nuanced and multi-pronged approaches to fields such as these, with their deep and direct impacts on communities’ livelihoods and culture.