To feed billions and improve nutrition, experts suggest embracing a wider variety of fish species, allowing for strategic combinations that enhance nutrient intake even from smaller servings.

According to research from Cornell university, combining certain fish can boost nutrient intake by up to 60% compared to eating the same amount of a single, highly nutritious species.

“This research hopefully highlights the importance of biodiversity,not just because of a moral quandary that we’re causing a mass extinction on Earth,but also because biodiversity can lead to better outcomes for fishery sustainability,” said first author Sebastian heilpern,a postdoctoral fellow who has done previous research related to this in the Amazon River.

The study involved identifying commonly consumed fish species, cross-referencing them with nutrient data, and determining their global distribution. This biogeographic and nutrient information was then used in a computer model.

“We can then ask, out of all these combinations of potential options of species, which ones could we select and how much of each, in a way that would provide us with sufficient nutrition to meet a person’s diet [needs] with the lowest amount of fish biomass,” Heilpern said.

The model indicated that more biodiverse fisheries lead to diets that favor species resilient to overfishing and climate change.These species tend to be smaller, lower on the food chain, and easily substituted with other similar species, offering numerous alternatives.

Benefits of Smaller Fish Species

Smaller fish, such as sardines, are often more ecologically resilient due to their faster growth rates. These species also tolerate wider temperature ranges, making them more adaptable to climate shocks.

“This research hopefully highlights the importance of biodiversity…as biodiversity can lead to better outcomes for fishery sustainability.”

The research identified tropical coastal regions, including the Coral Triangle, Australia, India, and the Amazon, as having the most biodiverse fisheries. While the U.S. has good biodiversity, Americans tend to consume a limited number of species; just 10 account for 90% of consumption.

Global Implications and Funding

The study received funding from the Schmidt Sciences programs, Cornell University, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.