To world leaders, including the UK Government
In 2022, over 190 governments committed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, including the development and implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).
Yet, current policies and existing NBSAPs do not sufficiently address the growing pressure that carnivorous aquaculture, such as tuna ranching and proposed octopus farming. These industries place increasing pressure on wild fish populations , particularly forage fish, food webs, and marine ecosystems.
We call on world leaders to strengthen and implement their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, in line with the commitments taken with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to ensure that aquaculture development supports, rather than undermines, biodiversity objectives.
We call on policymakers to:
- Ensure that aquaculture development does not drive overfishing or ecosystem degradation, or the depletion of key forage species by:
- Establishing ecosystem-informed limits on the use of wild fish inputs – including forage fish, fishmeal and fish oil used in feed,
- Prioritising marine food web integrity and safeguarding coastal community food security and livelihoods,
- Strengthening monitoring, reporting, traceability, and transparency of aquaculture supply chains.
(CBD Target 5 and 9 – sustainable use and management of wild species)
- Apply a precautionary principle to the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture by:
- Applying the precautionary principle to the development of aquaculture involving high‑trophic species such as tuna and octopus.
- Refraining from issuing new permits for the farming of high-trophic, feed-dependent species (including tuna and octopus) where significant biodiversity risks remain, and avoiding expansion that could lock in long‑term ecological impacts.
(CBD Targets 10 & 1 – sustainable aquaculture and reducing biodiversity loss)
- Reform subsidies and redirect public finance with biodiversity objectives by:
- Identifying and reforming subsidies and financial incentives that drive unsustainable aquaculture expansion
- Redirecting public finance toward low‑impact, restorative, and non‑fed aquaculture systems (e.g. bivalves, seaweed).
(CBD Target 18 – reform harmful subsidies)
- Strengthen policy coherence between biodiversity and international trade frameworks by:
- Assessing, in line with the precautionary principle, the inclusion of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) under CITES Appendix II
- Ensuring that international trade in aquatic species does not undermine biodiversity objectives or place additional pressure on wild populations
- Strengthening coherence between CBD commitments, NBSAP implementation, and international trade frameworks, including CITES.
(CBD Targets 5 & 9 – sustainable use and trade of wild species)
