Shining a Light on Carbon Emissions and Seafood

We’ve been working behind the scenes for nearly two years to develop a new tool with our partners at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. And today we’re proud to announce that the University has released the Seafood Carbon Emissions Tool. The largest seafood companies have already made a public commitment to reduce their carbon footprints. The Carbon Tool, a culmination of efforts by Dr. Peter Tyedmers, Dr. Robert Parker and our Senior Fisheries Scientist Lisa Max, is designed to help them meet these commitments. 

In 2018, Tyedmers and Parker published a groundbreaking study examining a recent increase in fisheries-related greenhouse gas emissions. They found that the largest contributor to seafood’s carbon footprint is the fuel used to power fishing boats. Fisheries that require extensive gear and travel—like those for crustaceans—can produce more carbon than fisheries that capture dense concentrations of schooling fish.

Tyedmers and Parker note that the total contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to global climate change is small relative to other animal proteins, like beef or lamb. Fishing fleets use about one percent of all the oil consumed and are responsible for four percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the food industry. Still, says Max, any reduction in these harmful gases is critical to ocean health.

“This is another way to assess the total impact of the seafood business on our planet,” she says. “We know that carbon emissions directly contribute to warming seas and can damage ocean ecosystems like coral reefs. It’s critical that we do everything possible to mitigate these effects.” 

 
How it works

The Carbon Tool allows businesses to see the carbon footprint of the seafood, wild or farmed, they purchase and even compare it to land-based protein sources.

It includes estimates for over 150 combinations of species and gear type or farming method. The measurements are for emissions generated up to the dock where the fish is landed or, for farmed fish, everything that happens at the farm. Because seafood can be transported in many ways and over different distances, the measurements do not include processing or transportation to your local market. 

Finally, the Carbon Tool will serve as a data collection portal, growing to include more species and information about seafood’s carbon footprint. 

Moving toward a more sustainable future

For consumers, our website and app remain the best tools to inform seafood purchasing. For businesses looking to better understand the true impact of their seafood purchasing, however, the Carbon Tool provides a much-needed layer of information on a new facet of seafood sustainability. 

“By providing the best available information, and bringing market forces to bear, we can help companies meet their corporate social responsibility commitments,” says Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture. “Fisheries and aquaculture are an important source of protein and we must support industry’s commitment to ocean stewardship and reducing carbon emissions.”

 To learn more, visit http://seafoodco2.dal.ca/