Pushing Boundaries in Species Diversification for Climate Action with Aquaculture Readiness Levels (ARL®)

Climate action-oriented aquaculture is a production that integrates adaptation practices and mitigation efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have developed a 10-step guide for how to include climate action in aquaculture across all species, from seaweed to fish.

Species diversification is one of the main adaptation strategies in aquaculture, suggested to make the sector more robust to impacts from climate change, as it will make the industry more robust to withstand challenging conditions, relieve the pressure on over-exploited wild populations, and if done correctly, can be used to reduce emissions. Unfortunately, there is a lack of climate action driven aquaculture production at present, and efforts should be made to emphasize both the importance of this for sustained production as well as for aquacultures potential to pave the way for more sustainable food production.

Establishing a new commercial aquaculture species takes time, effort, knowledge and resources. To ensure implementation of climate action, we developed the Aquaculture Readiness Levels (ARL®). The ARL® involves 10 levels across four stages: Research (1-3), Development (4-6), Commercialization (7-9), and Adaptation (10). ‘Research’ includes fundamental knowledge of biology, requirements of species under aquaculture, ‘Development’ includes trials to harvest size in production environment, and ‘Commercialization’ the commercial success, products to market, and production at large scale.  At the highest ARL®, level 10, where climate action is embedded within all production strategies.

Taking a fast track to market and skipping some of the steps in development of new species for commercialization may seem an attractive option. Skipping steps may however make that sector less flexible and more vulnerable to shocks, as the foundational knowledge and experience may be lacking. ARL® 10 is the Climate Action stage, and this demands strategies that make climate adaptation and mitigation strategies central to all decisions. Climate change should be considered at each ARL® stage, but what sets ARL® 10 apart from the others is that it is a deliberate scaling up of efforts to address the climate emergency by acting against climate change and its impacts, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 13, Climate Action.

All species developed for aquaculture purposes should therefore aim for ARL® 10, where climate action permeates everything in the business model.