Nippon Foundation Nereus Program Reveals Critical State of World's Oceans in 2050

Along with overfishing and habitat destruction, climate change is anticipated to lead to a decline in fisheries in many regions and alterations of marine biodiversity and food web structure. While aquaculture will play a role in providing a source of marine protein for a growing global population, the long-term ecological and social sustainability of aquaculture is unclear.  An improved framework for global ocean governance will be needed to ensure sustainable fisheries in the future.

Along with overfishing and habitat destruction, climate change is anticipated to lead to a decline in fisheries in many regions and alterations of marine biodiversity and food web structure. While aquaculture will play a role in providing a source of marine protein for a growing global population, the long-term ecological and social sustainability of aquaculture is unclear.  An improved framework for global ocean governance will be needed to ensure sustainable fisheries in the future.

At the press conference, Associate Professor William Cheung from UBC who is also one of the Co-Directors of the Nereus Program said that "the types of fish we will have on our dinner table will be very different in a few decades from now." He further said that "fisheries will be catching more warm-water species and smaller fish, thus fish supply through both domestic and overseas fisheries as well as imported fish will be affected."

The Nereus Program is an interdisciplinary ocean research initiative in which the Nippon Foundation is collaborating with seven institutes around the world, including the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Princeton University.  As the world's only comprehensive research program focusing on the future of the oceans, approximately 30 fellows and 14 researchers are carrying out interdisciplinary research, covering a wide range of topics from climate to international law. Some of the results have already been published in numerous academic journals, including "Science."

For more information, including the full report visit:
http://www.nippon-foundation.or.jp/en/news/articles/2015/

Source: Nippon Foundation

Contact:
Ms. Yukiko Kuwata, Mr. Takashi Arikawa
Ocean & Maritime Affairs Department
The Nippon Foundation
Tel: +81-3-6229-5152
e-mail: pr@ps.nippon-foundation.or.jp