Study maps how Brazil's coastline could ease food insecurity through sustainable seafood

A multidisciplinary team led by researchers at the University of Miami analyzed food consumption survey data from 30,700 Brazilians alongside fishery statistics and seafood nutrient profiles. Their study, published in Nature Food, found that average seafood consumption in Brazil is less than half the recommended level, even though an estimated 10.6 million people are undernourished and 33 million face food insecurity.

Seafood currently provides only about 6% of total protein intake in Brazil, but the researchers calculated that raising that share to 25% could reduce widespread deficiencies in vitamin A, magnesium, calcium and other micronutrients found in seafood. Brazilians already meet average protein recommendations, yet diets fall short on essential micronutrients, said ecologist Juan Pablo Quimbayo, who runs the BioScales Lab at the University of Miami.

The team also found that demand for seafood exceeds supply in several Brazilian states. Rather than increasing wild catch, they propose expanding aquaculture to meet demand without further pressuring fisheries that are already under stress. Species selection for both farming and fishing should consider nutritional value alongside harvest volume, the authors argue.

Postdoctoral researcher Luiza Waechter noted that seafood's taxonomic and nutritional diversity allows flexible diets that can supply different nutrient combinations without relying on a single species. This diversity, the study says, makes seafood a low-cost protein source with a relatively low environmental footprint compared with beef and other animal proteins.

The researchers acknowledged that cultural preferences for chicken, beef and pork in some regions may be difficult to shift. They also emphasized that protecting coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves is essential to sustaining the biodiversity that underpins future nutrient availability.

The findings frame biodiversity preservation as a public health strategy as well as an environmental one. Quimbayo said fisheries are often valued only for immediate food or income, but safeguarding the ecosystems that sustain them helps ensure future generations retain access to both food and biodiversity.