Sustainable Resources Use in Practice: Operationalizing the FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture
Abstract
Given the documented and projected growth of global aquaculture, care is needed to scale the sector sustainably so that food security, economic development, and social equality gains can be fully realized as aquaculture expands to meet global demand for aquatic animal products. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA) provide a comprehensive set of recommendations to support the responsible and sustainable growth of global aquaculture. Following the 2024 adoption of the GSA, additional work is now needed to promote streamlined implementation of the Guidelines, and facilitate monitoring and evaluation of their outcomes. This project developed theories of change, identified indicators of success, and highlighted examples of the GSA recommendations in practice to operationalize Chapter Five of the Guidelines. In doing so, this project strives to encourage increased uptake and efficacy of the Chapter Five recommendations in global aquaculture, and to provide Food and Agriculture Organization members and aquaculture stakeholders with tools for gauging the success of sustainable aquaculture interventions following implementation.