International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade
Abstract
Environmental concerns about seafood consumption generally are associated with the status of target stocks as well as bycatch and/or habitat issues. The more recent concept of "food miles" hails from terrestrial food production, and focuses on "consuming locally" in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of a consumer's diet. Fish is one of the most heavily traded food products in the world. The idea of consumers considering food miles in their consumption decisions has tremendous implications for seafood. Over 40 percent of global production of seafood is traded internationally, and the distances between fishing vessel and dinner plate only seem to grow. But how important is the carbon footprint of shipping relative to the production of seafood? This paper examines the share of energy consumption associated with the harvest of seafood in the Northeast U.S. Fishing vessel fuel consumption and landings are used to assess energy use per landed (live) weight of seafood. Such information should shed light on the true nature of the carbon footprint of seafood trade
