Summary:
A new report by Feedback and a coalition of West African and Norwegian organisations, ‘Blue Empire: How the Norwegian salmon industry extracts nutrition and undermines livelihoods in West Africa’, exposes how the expansion of Norway’s huge salmon farming industry has come at the expense of communities and fish populations in the Global South.
Efforts to scale up aquaculture are increasingly framed as essential to global food security and ocean sustainability, yet such narratives often obscure the complex and interdependent relationships between aquaculture and wild-capture fisheries. This paper critically interrogates the dominant “feed the world” framing of aquaculture expansion, arguing that treating aquaculture and fisheries as isolated systems undermines social equity, ecological sustainability, and effective food policy.
Around the world, more than four billion people aren’t getting enough of key vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy, according to research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Chris Golden. One promising solution: better stewardship of sources of nutrient-rich aquatic foods.
The report reviews regulatory frameworks as well as standards such as those set by Codex Alimentarius, FAO guidelines, and GFSI‑benchmarked schemes, advocating for harmonized labelling, mandatory scientific names, and improved traceability. It emphasizes the role of consumer awareness and industry transparency in combating fraud.