The human body needs consistent access to small quantities of these micronutrients to enable proper physiological and immune function 7. In addition to protein, seafood provides critical contributions of nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, selenium, vitamin B 12, and fatty acids 4, 5, 6. Concurrently, more than 3.3 billion people around the world depend on fish for at least 20% of their animal-protein intake, and in many developing countries, seafood accounts for more than 50% of the total animal-protein intake 3. Unhealthy diets and insufficient food are the leading cause of death globally 1, with over 2 billion people deemed food-insecure 2. Our study demonstrates the significance of small-scale fisheries for nutritionally vulnerable coastal populations, emphasizing how effective fisheries management can contribute to public health. Catch from small-scale fisheries is particularly important for the supply of vitamin B 12, calcium and DHA + EPA, representing up to 100% of supply in selected countries. Combining nutrient supply estimates with global estimates of inadequate nutrient intake, we found that about half of coastal countries that have a mean inadequate intake of at least 50% across assessed nutrients (iron, zinc, calcium, DHA + EPA and vitamins A and B 12) rely on small scale fisheries for at least 15% of mean nutrient supply, and many rely on small scale fisheries for more than 30% of mean nutrient supply. These global averages, however, underrepresent some key roles of ocean-based foods. We found that, on average across assessed nutrients (iron, zinc, calcium, DHA + EPA and vitamins A and B 12), small-scale fisheries contributed about 32% of overall global seafood nutrient supply, 17% of the nutrient supply from animal-sourced foods and 10% of nutrient supply from all foods. Here, we combined multiple global databases to quantify the importance of marine small-scale fisheries to national-level nutrient supply of coastal populations. While global fisheries are considered key in providing essential nutrients to hundreds of millions of people around the globe, the specific contribution of small-scale fisheries to the nutrient supply given other available food supplies is unknown.

Over 2 billion people are unable to access safe, nutritious and sufficient food year-round.

Fishing planet level 30 guide