Jie Su*, Michelle Tigchelaar, Ben Belton, Quanli Wang, Cristiano M. Rossignoli, Edward H. Allison, Max Troell & Alexandros Gasparatos* 

Nature Food 

https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-026-01410-4 

Published: 08 September 2026 

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly constraining inland aquaculture, a critical contributor to global food and nutrition security. Here we systematically review literature in English and Chinese to synthesize climate-related impacts from 84 peer-reviewed sources to identify adaptation options and map pathways across the aquaculture value chain. We document diverse, interacting stressors affecting production systems and livelihoods, alongside 53 potential adaptation options spanning management, technology and governance. However, uptake is limited by persistent barriers, including restrictive government policy environments, insufficient financial resources and limited access to actionable information. The heterogeneity of impacts and contexts suggests that uniform solutions are unlikely to be effective. Instead, targeted strategies that mainstream aquaculture within adaptation planning, enhance policy coherence, strengthen information-sharing platforms and increase investment are required. Enabling institutional and financial conditions are pivotal to unlocking effective, context-specific adaptation in inland aquaculture.