WorldFish said Tuesday it will lead the new Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Research Program on Fish Agrifood Systems (FISH), which will focus on sustainable aquaculture, small-scale fisheries, and enhancing contribution of fish to nutrition and health of the poor in priority geographies of Africa and Asia-Pacific.

FISH's six goals by 2022: 

  • Adopt improved breeds, aquafeeds, fish health and aquaculture and fisheries management practices by 5 million households
  • Help lift 3.5 million people out of poverty, at least 50 percent women, through gender-inclusive livelihood improvements
  • Reduce number of people suffering from deficiencies in essential micronutrients by 2.4 million, with at least 50 percent of them women
  • Help 4.7 million more women of reproductive age to consume an adequate number of food groups
  • Decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, and increase water and nutrient use efficiency by 10 percent, through 4.8 million metric tons of annual farmed fish production
  • Restore 3.3 million hectacres of ecosystems through more productive and equitable management of small-scale fishery resources and rehabilitation of degraded aquaculture ponds

"Fish is the only animal-source food that can be produced in saltwater, offering unique advantages for climate resilient production," said FISH Interim Program Director and Management Committee Chair Michael Phillips. "Fish is the animal-source food with the fastest-growing production."

The global FISH partnership will support fisheries and aquaculture contributions to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and of CGIAR’s overall goals.

Partnering on FISH with WorldFish are the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, Australia; the International Water Management Institute; Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich (NRI), England and Wageningen University, Netherlands.

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