W H I T EP A P E RA P R I L2 0 2 4 Contents Foreword3 Executive summary 2Drivers of loss and waste along the value chain7 3Quantifying aquatic food loss and waste 3.1Total quantities3.2Per species group3.3Per product type3.4Global hotspots3.5Intra-continental hotspots 4Interventions for tackling aquatic food loss and waste 4.1By-product use4.2Infrastructural improvements4.3Emerging technologies4.4Markets, trends and diversification4.5Investing in skills and knowledge4.6Industry collaboration4.7Policy and regulatory frameworks 5Calls to action5.1Policy-makers5.2Industry5.3Civil societyFinal remarksContributorsEndnotes Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as acontribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings,interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result ofa collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the WorldEconomic Forum but whose results do not necessarily representthe views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of itsMembers, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2024 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form orby any means, including photocopying and recording, or by anyinformation storage and retrieval system. Foreword Tom PickerelGlobal Director,Ocean Program,World Resources Institute Alfredo GironHead, Ocean Action Agenda,World Economic Forum Aquatic food plays a critical role in global foodand nutrition security, and loss and waste of thisessential resource is a growing concern worldwide.Previous estimates indicate that one-third of globalaquatic food produced for human consumption islost or wasted. However, these estimates are nowassumed to be outdated and potentially inaccurate.This paper provides up-to-date estimates of globaledible aquatic food loss and waste across the valuechain, from production through to consumption. Itoffers a comprehensive breakdown across speciesgroups, product types and bilateral internationaltrade routes. This work delves into specific loss and wastechallenges at each section of the value chainand emphasizes the critical need for targetedinterventions that enhance long-term food systemresilience. In addition to demonstrating the scale ofaquatic food loss and waste, this work highlightskey hotspots where significant loss and wasteis occurring, and where focused investment ininterventions would be most impactful. Additionally,numerous actionable strategies that have alreadybeen adopted are showcased, exemplifyingsuccessful solutions driven by technologicalinnovation and multistakeholder collaboration. This paper comes at an important time.It contributes to the United Nations (UN) OceanDecade’s ambition to use ocean science andknowledge generation to catalyse new opportunitiesfor sustainable development. It responds directly tothe Non-State Actors Call to Action for TransformingFood Systems for People, Nature, and Climatecoming out of Conference of the Parties (COP28),and solutions presented in this paper providetangible approaches to progress to SustainableDevelopment Goal 12.3, halving per capita globalfood loss and waste by 2030. This work actions theUN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) BlueTransformation Roadmap, prioritizing efficient valuechains that increase profitability and reduce foodwaste, and aligns closely with the High Level Panelfor a Sustainable Ocean Economy’s priority actionto minimize waste in aquatic food supply chains. Using the insights from the quantitative analysis,targeted calls to action for policy-makers,industry and civil society are outlined. We inviteall stakeholders engaged in aquatic food valuechains to use this paper as a shared communityresource to identify priority areas and as a guide fortheir own transformative actions. In doing so, wecan build collective momentum towards reducingaquatic food loss and waste, and work towards thesustainable growth of the aquatic food industry forpeople, nature and climate. This paper is produced by the World EconomicForum’s Ocean Action Agenda in partnershipwith the World Resources Institute, with technicalsupport from MarFishEco Fisheries Consultants.This was made possible with generous supportfrom the UK Government’s Blue Planet Fund. Executive summaryAquatic foods are indispensable for global food security, yet substantial losses occur, whichrequire coordinated action among stakeholders. 23.8million tonnes Aquatic foods play a critical role in global foodand nutrition security. With projections indicatinga continued rise in their consumption, aquaticfood loss and waste (FLW) is a growing globalconcern. While the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO) 2011 estimateindicated that 35% of aquatic food directed tohuman consumption was lost or wasted globally,such estimates are outdated and inadequatelyaggregated, making it challenging to assess morerecent FLW along the aquatic food value chains. respectively, the