🔗 Find out more: buff.ly/spvOuvb

#EthicalSeafoodResearch #AquaticAnimalWelfare #SustainableAquaculture #FarmedFish

We believe in a future where farmers are supported, ecosystems are protected and ethical aquaculture is possible.

When animal welfare improves, outcomes for people and the environment often improve alongside it.

10 percent.
That’s how much we aim to reduce aquatic animal suffering in Africa by 2030.

Our team of researchers, scientists, engineers and veterinarians work directly with farmers, developing practical, science-based solutions that improve animal welfare without increasing costs.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Kirsty.

These findings highlight how different production models shape access to food, livelihoods and ecosystem outcomes - and why these trade-offs need to be made more visible in food system discussions.

🔗 Visit buff.ly/Za7htAu to read the full report.

#TransformBottomTrawling #FoodSystemReform

While industry narratives emphasise efficiency, interviews with small-scale fishers show that this often comes at the cost of the nutritional stability and food sovereignty of coastal communities.

Across nine case studies, the findings point to a consistent pattern:

→ Access to fishing grounds is restricted.
→ Nutrients are diverted away from local diets.
→ Small-scale fisheries and post-harvest livelihoods are increasingly marginalised.

Food security is often framed in terms of production - but who benefits matters just as much.

A new report from the Transform Bottom Trawling Coalition examines how industrial bottom trawling is reshaping food systems across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, Oceania and North America.

Change doesn’t come from awareness alone. It comes from how systems are designed, supported and implemented over time.

🔗 Find out more: buff.ly/mtOk4O2

#GlobalDayOfAction #SeaweedFarming #FoodSystemReform #AnimalWelfare

Working with partners in Kenya and Tanzania, we’re proud to be at the forefront of supporting this transition - from identifying where it works, to building capacity and supporting long-term investment.

And for us at ESR, seaweed farming is just one example of what that shift can look like in practice.

For coastal communities, seaweed farming requires minimal inputs, provides a passive source of income and avoids many of the welfare challenges associated with farming sentient aquatic animals.

This Global Day of Action, we’re joining Stop Financing Factory Farming and over 20 organisations around the world calling for a shift away from systems that place pressure on animals, people and the environment - and towards solutions that can support all three.

For organisations like ourselves working at the forefront of aquatic animal welfare, improving how animals are represented is an important step towards more informed and responsible systems.

🔗 The full letter can be accessed at: buff.ly/RVir0nV

#BBCCharter #AnimalWelfare #AnimalSentience

→ Improved education on animal sentience and animal welfare law.
→ Greater attention to the links between animal welfare, environmental and public health.
→ Expanded coverage of the challenges faced by wild animals.
→ Better integration of animal welfare issues within political and public discourse.

With additional support from public figures across the UK’s creative industries - including Diane Morgan, Chris Packham and others who work with the BBC - the open letter calls for:

How animals are represented in the media shapes how they are understood - and how they are treated.

We’re proud to stand among 23 organisations calling on the BBC to strengthen how it reflects animal sentience and the welfare challenges animals face.

Happy Easter from all the team at Ethical Seafood Research. 🌼

This time of year is a chance to pause and reflect on renewal - in our communities, our systems and our relationship with the natural world.

Wishing all those who celebrate a wonderful Easter.

#HappyEaster #EthicalSeafoodResearch

🔗 Read the full paper: buff.ly/mVHCtNs

#WorldAquaticAnimalDay #AquaticAnimalWelfare #Aquaculture #FoodSystemReform

The findings point to the need for approaches that combine practical tools with targeted training and ongoing support to improve both welfare outcomes and productivity.

Truly improving welfare depends on how systems are understood and strengthened in practice, not only defined in principle.

Rather than focusing only on describing welfare conditions, it highlights the importance of being able to assess and improve welfare in real production conditions, where practices vary and constraints shape what is possible.

A 2026 study by Felix Nwose, Nwachi Francis Oster, Ekelemu Jerimoth Kesena and ESR Director, Wasseem Emam, examines this in the context of Nigerian smallholder aquaculture.

On World Aquatic Animal Day, much of the focus is on awareness.

But progress also depends on how welfare is understood within the systems where production is growing the fastest.

It’s a reminder that welfare is not an optional add-on. It’s central to product quality, sector performance and community prosperity.

🔗 Watch the full video at: buff.ly/s3fgObA

#VeriFish #VoicesBehindTheIndicators #EthicalSeafood #Aquaculture

What does ethical seafood mean in practice?

ESR Director, Wasseem Emam, recently spoke with VeriFish as part of their Voices Behind the Indicators series, exploring three interconnected components central to ethical seafood - animal welfare, environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

Meaningful progress depends on moving beyond raising awareness to translating knowledge into action - on farms, in frameworks and in policy.

🔗 Learn more: buff.ly/spvOuvb

#EthicalSeafoodResearch #AquaticAnimalWelfare #Aquaculture #FoodSystemReform

If science recognises fish as sentient, what does that mean for how we farm them?

Aquaculture now produces over half the seafood consumed globally, but welfare standards have not developed at the same rate as in terrestrial farming.

We’re pleased to have Matt on board as we scale our work across global food systems.

Please join us in welcoming Matt to the team.

#EthicalSeafoodResearch #AquaticAnimalWelfare #FoodSystems #MeetTheTeam

He holds a background in Anthropology from Durham University, bringing a systems-level perspective to understanding how food systems operate, and how they can be improved to better serve animals, people and the environment.

With over seven years of experience working to improve global food systems, Matt has collaborated with corporations, consultancies and NGOs to advance more sustainable, ethical and responsible production practices, with a particular focus on animal welfare.

In his role, Matt supports both research and operational delivery, helping to strengthen our work on the ground and ensure that science-based welfare improvements translate into real-world impact.