Transforming the future of marine aquaculture: A circular economy technique. In their post, the authors argue for moving the focus of marine aquaculture down the food chain to algae. A marine microalgae-based aquaculture market would not need arable land and freshwater, or pollute freshwater and marine environments through fertilizer overflow. According to the authors, “The financial headwinds faced by a new marine microalgae-based aquaculture industry will be stiff due to the fact that it must challenge incumbent markets for market share prior to its innovations are entirely mature and it can accomplish the complete advantages of scale. Over time, our thinking evolved, and we recognized that marine microalgae have remarkable capacity for resolving the international challenges of food and water security, climate modification, and lots of other elements of ecological sustainability.
According to the authors, “The monetary headwinds dealt with by a new marine microalgae-based aquaculture market will be stiff due to the fact that it must challenge incumbent industries for market share before its technologies are entirely mature and it can attain the complete benefits of scale. Financial investments and market incentives supplied by state and federal governments can help in reducing this green premium till the playing field is level. The future role of algae-based services in achieving international food security and ecological sustainability will depend upon the actions taken by federal governments today.”
Greene includes, “Agriculture supplies the backbone these dayss international food production system; nevertheless, its possible to satisfy the worlds dietary needs by 2050 is restricted. Marine microalgae can assist fill the forecasted dietary space while all at once enhancing total environmental sustainability and ocean health.”
Interview with Associate Director for Research and Strategic Planning Dr. Charles H. Greene
What first drew you to study microalgae and sustainability?
About a dozen years earlier, I pertained to the conclusion that too numerous Earth researchers were focusing just on the effects of environment change and not looking for services to the problem. An associate of mine, Dr. Mark Huntley, welcomed me to join his group investigating the capacity of marine microalgae in the production of biofuels. Gradually, our thinking progressed, and we understood that marine microalgae have tremendous potential for attending to the international challenges of food and water security, climate change, and numerous other aspects of ecological sustainability.
What are the key findings you collected in your paper?
By taking an integrated, circular economy approach to cultivating marine microalgae, we can close the space in human nutrition predicted for 2050 and at the same time reduce a number of the negative impacts our present food production system has on environment and the international environment.
What most interested or shocked you about your findings?
We constantly understood that the high performance of marine microalgae might assist us reduce the carbon and land footprints of agriculture. What came as an unanticipated surprise was simply how much protein might possibly be produced from such a small footprint of non-arable, seaside land in the Global South. The implications of our outcomes for sustainable advancement are extensive.
What are the next steps for research study on this topic?
As green investor John Doerr highlights in his recent book *, its all about speed and scale. Our window of time to fix these worldwide difficulties is narrow, and the solutions are on a scale that our policymakers have problem even picturing, not to mention investing in. The future of algae-based services in accomplishing global food security and ecological sustainability will depend upon the actions taken by the financial investment community and federal governments today.
* Speed & & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now
Referral: “Algal options: Transforming marine aquaculture from the bottom up for a sustainable future” by Charles H. Greene and Celina M. Scott-Buechler, 17 October 2022, PLOS Biology.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pbio.3001824.
Microalgae growing facility along the Kona Coast of Hawaiis Big Island. Image provided by the Cyanotech Corporation. Credit: Greene, C.H., C.M. Scott-Buechler, A.L.P. Hausner, Z.I. Johnson, X. Lei, and M.E. Huntley. 2022. Changing the future of marine aquaculture: A circular economy method. Oceanography, p. 28, doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2022.213, CC-BY 4.0
Terrestrial agriculture provides the backbone of the worlds food production system. A new opinion article published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology makes the case for increased investment in algae aquaculture systems as a means of meeting dietary needs while decreasing the eco-friendly footprint of food production. Authored by Charles H. Greene at University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, and Celina M. Scott-Buechler at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, the article was released on October 17.
Destructive influence on environment, land usage, freshwater resources, and biodiversity would arise from increasing agriculture and fisheries production to fulfill consumer demand. In their post, the authors argue for moving the focus of marine aquaculture down the food cycle to algae. This might possibly provide the growing demand for nutritious food in addition to reducing the existing food systems environmental footprint.
Charles Greene. Credit: Charles Greene, CC BY 4.0
Microalgae might provide high amounts of nutritional protein and vital amino acids, in addition to other micronutrients, such as vitamins and anti-oxidants. Moreover, a marine microalgae-based aquaculture market would not need arable land and freshwater, or contaminate freshwater and marine ecosystems through fertilizer overflow. The short article does not attend to the capacity for a new algae-based aquaculture industry to be culturally responsive, how large-scale microalgae production would affect local foodways, or how algae tastes.
