CASE STUDY 6 China – collaboration elevates tilapia to a strategic sector65,66,67 Context Tilapia were introduced to China in the 1950s and historically produced at small scale with little strategic importance. Reform began in the 1980s when the sector saw rapid growth. Actions –In the 2010s, central government integrated tilapia into food-security and export policy. –Research and development institutes (e.g. Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences) partnered with hatcheries to introduce GIFT (genetically improved farmed tilapia) strains. –Local governments funded training, feed and infrastructure. –Private sector scaled up processing and exports. Impacts –Despite having led global tilapia production for a while, strategic priority boosted China’s tilapia output to about 1.8 million tonnes in 2019 (~30% of global output that year),68 one of the highest amounts ever produced by a country. –The sector shifted from small-scale to highly commercial operations. CASE STUDY 7 Indonesia – multi-stakeholder investment and policy support accelerate aquaculture growth 69,70,71 Context In the early 2000s, Indonesia’s aquaculture sector was predominantly small-scale and under-performed, using only ~7% of its potential area (the land and water suitable for ponds, coastal lagoons and marine farming sites). Productivity and export competitiveness were low despite vast coastal resources. Actions –Indonesia’s government prioritized five “champion species” (shrimp, tilapia, catfish, seaweed, lobster) through a national aquaculture roadmap and invested in hatcheries, feed mills and farmer credit schemes. –Private firms drove annual investments of ~$170 million (as of 2023) with commercial farms, feed mills and processing plants. Investments financed new farm construction, processing facilities and technology adoption. –Concessional finance partners such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, United Nations and others partnered with government to provide patient capital. ADB invested ~$90 million in loans to support infrastructure development for shrimp aquaculture across seven provinces. Impacts –Aquaculture output grew 15x between 2000 and 2021, making Indonesia the world’s second-largest producer. –Exports rose 300% and the sector now supports about 4 million jobs. –Expansion of sustainable shrimp and seaweed farming reduced pressure on wild fisheries and promoted coastal ecosystem recovery. Investing in Blue Foods: Innovation and Partnerships for Impact 22

Investing in Blue Foods 2026