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Hunger and food insecurity are widespread problems. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (2019), more than 820 million people in the world were still hungry in 2018. This problem is likely to get worse given the expected increase in the world’s population and the stress on natural resources in times of unsustainable industrial fisheries and agriculture. Michael Fakhri is a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law where he teaches courses on human rights, food law, development, and commercial law. He is the current UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, focusing on the right to food and securing sustainable small-scale fisheries. He reports to the Human Rights Council and has asked for inputs by end November 2023.

World Fisheries Day is celebrated every year on 21 November around the globe. This year's motto focused on social sustainability and working conditions in the fisheries sector. The idea of World Fisheries Day originated in 1997 at the World Fisheries Forum in New Delhi, India. It was proposed by a group of supporters of small-scale fisheries and environmentalists who recognized the need to raise awareness about the importance of fisheries and the challenges they face. Since World War II, subsidy driven overcapacity in industrial fishing fleets has led to sequential overfishing and expansion into the last corner of the ocean contributing to mass species extinction and declining catches. Climate change with a warming ocean with less oxygen and growing acidification adds to the strain on marine ecosystems and their resources. Small-scale fisheries (SSF) usually deploying low impact gear account for approximately a quarter of the global wild fish food production and 90% of the workforce, both men and women. Many SSF are in a serious crisis mode as the bases of their livelihoods get eroded by overfishing and poor governance.

The ocean is under siege from multiple human activities. Recognised as global commons, the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, in 2022 marked its ascendence on the global political agenda. The second UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon last year called for the establishment of an International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS) in order to replace technocratic and fragmented approaches towards the ocean by more comprehensive, transdisciplinary, more inclusive understanding and a much improved science-policy interface to help deliver on Sustainable Development Goal 14 'Life Under Water'. Following the invitation of the EU Council, the European Commission (DG MARE) commissioned the Seascape Assessment, to demonstrate the feasibility of the IPOS.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) rightly attract more attention as international biodiversity agreements see them as major instruments to stop mass species extinctions and recover ocean health. Upon the initiative of MEPs Stéphane Bijoux and Catherine Chabaud the hybrid meeting on 7 November 2023 in the European Parliament and online featured results from the EU Ocean Governance project and other related projects.

On 27 October, fisheries biologist Cornelia E. Nauen visited Leiden University (LU) to give the 7th Environmental Humanities LU talk about her work with Mundus maris - Sciences and Arts for Sustainability, the non-governmental organization she co-founded in 2010, and which promotes restoration, conservation and sustainable use of aquatic ecosystems, respect and support for small-scale fishers and their traditional cultures.

We produce globally enough food for all humans on the shared planet. Yet, according to latest estimates by the World Food Programme (WFP), conflicts, economic shocks, climate extremes and soaring fertilizer prices are combining to create a food crisis of unprecedented proportions. As many as 783 million people are facing chronic hunger. Europe has been active in supporting the fight against food insecurity and more, both short-term through ECHO and more long-term, primarly with FAO, WFP and other UN agencies. This was the backdrop for the FAO Office in Brussels headed by Raschad Al-Khafaji to invite to a gathering into the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels on this year's World Food Day. The motto was: 'Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind' in recognition that some 70% of all accessible freshwater resources go into food production.

PranayaKumarParidaSmall-scale inland fisheries of India primarily take place in rivers, lakes, floodplain wetlands, reservoirs, and estuaries upon which 23.12 million fishers depend for their livelihoods and nutritional security. Inland fisheries are affected by multi-dimensional impacts. In particular climate change, irrigation structures, encroachment from agriculture and urbanization, siltation, high fishing pressure, etc. are affecting their sustainability. In his V2V lecture Dr. Pranaya Kumar Parida, a Scientist at the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) suggested that a number of social, economic, technological and ecological interventions can help address at least some of these issues. His talk focuses on the initiatives of the research institute to promote sustainability by responding to vulnerabilities and transitioning towards viability.

The new President of Nigeria has created a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as one of the innovations to social and economic development of Nigeria. However, fisheries and associated issues of healthy and productive aquatic environments remain so far under the Ministry of Agriculture, even though they are very important to a sustainable Blue Economy. The webinar organised on 26 September 2023 by Mundus maris and Fish Party with educational and research partners in Nigeria was intended to cast light on this sector and what was needed to enhance its resilitence. Special attention was paid to "Gender and Youths’ Economic Sustainability in the Decade of the Ocean Dialogue" as noted in the subtitle.

This was a great day for climate protection. On 15 September, 250,000 people turned out in 250 cities and towns in Germany alone demanding Climate Justice NOW!. Many more shouted out this demand around Europe and across the globe. Fridays For Future and countless supporters in civil society, trade unions and a wide range of scientists, artists, and green and blue activists took to the streets. On Sunday, some other marches are scheduled in Brussels, Belgium, and other places. Mundus maris supported the renewed drive demanding governments to stop fossils and rather throw their support decisively behind renewables. An unbelievable 440 Billion USD have been invested over the last months in new fossil extractions on land and in the sea!

The FishBase Team of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, headed by Prof. Jos Snoeks, hosted the annual FishBase-SeaLifeBase Symposium for the fourth time on 4 September 2023. The public event featured interesting talks by representatives of many of the organisations already sustaining work on the global biodiversity data systems covering all fish species and all non-fish animals in the ocean or planning to do so. In addition, several researchers from other Belgian research institutes gave presentations of related work. As a new feature two flash talk sessions offered further research updates for online and onsite participants. The scientific advances presented thanks to using these data systems were impressive.

Excellent opportunity to join a lecture of acclaimed author and long-time friend, Daniel Pauly, at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, on 2 September 2023. Despite the weekend, the lecture hall was packed full with scientists, managers, representatives of civil society and nature protection organisations, media and some people from government departments. They were not disappointed in their expectation to hear a bold interpretation of deep history of our species as it invaded every last corner of the planet. Means, as a species we are successful, aren't we? Let's see in a whistle stop tour through our history.