Study: Climate, Environmental Change Puts 90% of World’s Marine Food at Risk

Thai fishermen catch freshwater white tilapia fish at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province June 6, 2012. (Reuters)
Thai fishermen catch freshwater white tilapia fish at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province June 6, 2012. (Reuters)
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Study: Climate, Environmental Change Puts 90% of World’s Marine Food at Risk

Thai fishermen catch freshwater white tilapia fish at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province June 6, 2012. (Reuters)
Thai fishermen catch freshwater white tilapia fish at a fish farm in Samut Prakarn province June 6, 2012. (Reuters)

More than 90% of the world's marine food supplies are at risk from environmental changes such as rising temperatures and pollution, with top producers like China, Norway and the United States facing the biggest threat, new research showed on Monday.

"Blue food" includes more than 2,190 species of fish, shellfish, plants and algae as well as more than 540 species farmed in fresh water, helping sustain 3.2 billion people worldwide.

But not enough is being done to adapt to growing environmental risks, a study published in the Nature Sustainability journal said.

"Although we have made some progress with climate change, our adaptation strategies for blue food systems facing environmental change are still underdeveloped and need urgent attention," said Rebecca Short, researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Center and co-lead author.

Overproduction in the industry, which has driven the destruction of wetland habitats, has caused significant environmental damage but other "stressors" are also impacting the quantity and quality of blue foods.

They include rising sea levels and temperatures, ocean acidification, changes in rainfall, as well as non-climate factors like algal blooms and pollution from mercury, pesticides or antibiotics.

"Vulnerability caused by human-induced environmental change ... puts blue food production under a lot of pressure," said Ling Cao, professor at China's Xiamen University, who also co-wrote the paper.

"We know aquaculture and fisheries support billions of people for their livelihoods and their nutritional security."

China, Japan, India and Vietnam account for more than 45% of global landings and 85% of aquaculture production, and the study said reducing their vulnerability should be a priority. Small island nations that depend on seafood are also especially vulnerable.

Cao said a UN treaty on sustainable development in the high seas, signed in March, could enable stakeholders to act in the common interest when it comes to protecting blue food resources but other risks are on the horizon.

Nauru in the Pacific Ocean is at the forefront of efforts to mine ocean beds for metals, which environmentalists say can cause immense damage to marine life. Norway, another major seafood producer, also came under fire last week after announcing it would open up sea areas to mining.

"Ocean floor mining will have an impact on the wild fisheries population," said Cao. "Many scientists are now calling on governments to evaluate where they do ocean mining in order to minimize the impact."



Indonesia: Residents Wear Masks as Volcanic Ash Blankets Villages Near Erupting Volcano

A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
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Indonesia: Residents Wear Masks as Volcanic Ash Blankets Villages Near Erupting Volcano

A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT

Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Tuesday for a second straight day.

The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) high. That followed an eruption around midday Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and send volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) into the air, The Associated Press reported.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed terrified residents ran for their lives under the rain of ash and gravel and motorists struggled to drive motorbikes and cars in the reduced visibility as the ash clouds from Monday's eruption expanded into a mushroom shape.

No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.

“People around the volcano have increasingly understood how to minimize the impact of disaster risks as eruptions became more frequent since the end of 2023,” Muhari said in a statement.

The eruptions of the volcano on Flores Island affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts, according to initial assessments by the local disaster management agency.

Thick volcanic ash and rocks were reported to have fallen in villages of Nawakote, Klantanio, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, Pululera and Wulanggitang, where roads and green rice fields were transformed into grey thick mud and rocks, said Very Awales, an public information official at Sikka district administration, adding that schools were closed in those affected areas since Monday to protect students and staff from various hazards due to volcanic activities.

“The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful,” Awales said.

Authorities distributed 50,000 masks and urged residents to limit outdoor activities to protect themselves from volcanic materials. Residents were also urged to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.

The eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki followed its eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens.

The Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the slopes of the 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain Monday. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off volcanic earthquakes. Volcanic materials, including hot thumb-size gravel, were thrown up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater.

Muhari said two airports in the cities of Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province remained closed Tuesday.

Dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai international airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or canceled, but airport spokesperson Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said the airport was running normally despite the cancellations, as monitoring showed the volcanic ash had not affected Bali’s airspace.