Ocean could provide over six times more food than it does today

A worker carries lemuru fish as he walks at Kelan Beach in Badung, Bali resort island in this December 12, 2014 photo taken by Antara Foto. The unstable weather conditions and high waves in the Strait of Bali makes it difficult for fishermen to catch fish. Picture taken December 12, 2014. REUTERS/Antara Foto/Yusuf Fikri (INDONESIA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. MANDATORY CREDIT. INDONESIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN INDONESIA

By Emma Batha

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The ocean could provide over six times more food than it does now with better management and more technological innovation, scientists said on Tuesday, adding that boosting cultivation of bivalves like mussels and clams could be especially beneficial.

They estimated the oceans could provide more than two thirds of the animal protein that U.N. food experts predict will be needed to feed the world in future. Fish currently accounts for about a fifth of animal protein consumed by humans.

Cultivating food from the ocean generally has a lower impact on the climate than land-based agriculture, and is not limited by the same land and water constraints, the scientists said.

Food from the seas is also highly nutritious, containing essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, they said in a report to be released at a symposium on fisheries hosted by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome on Tuesday.

“The ocean has great, untapped potential to help feed the world in the coming decades, and this resource can be realised with a lower environmental footprint than many other food sources,” said lead author Christopher Costello.

“If we make rapid and far-reaching changes in the way we manage ocean-based industries while nurturing the health of its ecosystems, we can bolster our long-term food security and the livelihoods of millions of people.”

The report comes at a time of rising concern about over-fishing caused by a combination of factors including illegal fishing, fishing subsidies, the use of the wrong fishing gear and environmental degradation which is damaging nursery grounds.

With reforms, the scientists said the fishing industry could boost catches by 20% compared to today, and by up to 40% compared to projected future catches.

But they suggested the greatest potential gains lay in expanding the cultivation of bivalves like mussels, scallops and clams, which feed off organic matter in their environment.

This could also help improve water quality and create habitats for wild fisheries.

The scientists also called for more research into the potential of seaweed as a food source, especially as a replacement for fish-based ingredients in animal feed.

Studies suggest that certain seaweeds may reduce methane emissions from livestock which are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

The report has been produced for an initiative spearheaded by 14 government heads called the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, which aims to push the ocean to the top of global agendas.

(Reporting by Emma Batha @emmabatha; Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)

Scientists Find Protein To “Turbo-Charge” Immune System

Scientists at Imperial College London have found what they call a “game-changer” for cancer treatment: a protein that will “turbo-charge” the immune system to fighting cancers and viruses.

“This is exciting because we have found a completely different way to use the immune system to fight cancer,” said Professor Philip Ashton-Rickardt, from the Section of Immunobiology in the Department of Medicine at Imperial, who led the study.

“It could be a game-changer for treating a number of different cancers and viruses. This is a completely unknown protein. Nobody had ever seen it before or was even aware that it existed. It looks and acts like no other protein.”

When the body detects cancer, it will immediately flood the immune system with T-cells which fight the cancer.  However, the body quickly reduces that output after the initial wave.  The new protein creates T-cells in large enough numbers that cancer cannot fight them off.

The protein also creates “memory cells” in the immune system to recognize previously fought cancers and viruses to lessen the chances of their return.

“The discovery of a protein that could boost the immune response to not only cancer, but also to viruses, is a fascinating one,” Dr. Mike Turner of the Wellcome Trust, told the Daily Telegraph.  “Further investigation in animal models is needed before human trials can commence, but there is potential for a new type of treatment that capitalizes on the immune system’s innate ability to detect and kill abnormal cells.”

The study has been published in the journal Science.