Observatory
Reference Reports
Relevant information from credible sources — the sector reference library, 2015 to 2026, each publication summarised and linked to its official source.
2026
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FAO
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026 (SOFIA) — Blue Transformation: Turning Vision into Impact
FAO's newest flagship biennial report on global fisheries and aquaculture production, trade, sustainability and the Blue Transformation agenda.
- Global production
- Aquaculture
- Sustainability
2025
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EUMOFA
The EU Fish Market 2025
The annual EUMOFA flagship report on EU and world seafood markets: production, trade flows, prices and consumption trends for fishery and aquaculture products.
- EU market
- Prices
- Trade
-
European Commission
The EU Blue Economy Report 2025
The latest edition of the annual EU blue economy report, updating sector-by-sector data and focusing on ecosystem-based resilience and continued sector growth.
- Blue economy
- EU
- Resilience
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World Bank
PROBLUE Annual Report 2025
Annual report on the World Bank's dedicated blue economy trust fund, covering financed projects in fisheries governance, aquaculture, marine plastics and coastal tourism.
- Funding
- Governance
- Projects
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OECD
OECD Review of Fisheries 2025
The biennial OECD flagship comparing fisheries and aquaculture policies, government support measures and market trends across OECD and partner countries.
- Public policy
- International comparison
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FAO
GLOBEFISH Highlights — International Markets for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products
A quarterly FAO market-intelligence bulletin tracking global trade volumes, prices and supply and demand trends by species — the global counterpart to the EU-only EUMOFA reports.
- Prices
- Global trade
- Species
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GIIN
GIIN State of the Market 2025
The annual benchmark survey of the global impact investing industry, covering assets under management, returns and sector allocations.
- Impact investing
- Benchmark
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Global Seafood Alliance
Global Seafood Alliance 2025 Annual Report
Annual report from the body behind the Best Aquaculture Practices certification standard, covering certified-producer growth (4,308 producers across 45 countries) and responsible-sourcing trends. The full report sits behind a free registration form.
- Certification
- Aquaculture
2024
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EUMOFA
The EU Fish Market 2024
The 2024 edition of the same annual EUMOFA series on EU and world seafood markets.
- EU market
- Previous edition
-
FAO
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 (SOFIA) — Blue Transformation in Action
The previous edition of FAO's flagship report on world fisheries and aquaculture.
- Global production
- Previous edition
-
BlueInvest
BlueInvest Investor Report 2024: Unlocking the Potential of the Blue Economy
An updated BlueInvest investor report covering blue-economy deal activity, key technologies and investment-ready companies across ten sustainable blue-economy sectors.
- Investment
- Pipeline
- Technology
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European Commission
The EU Blue Economy Report 2024
The annual EU statistical and policy report tracking the size, employment, growth and innovation trends of the EU's established and emerging blue economy sectors.
- Blue economy
- Employment
- Innovation
2023
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EUMOFA
EU Country Profile — Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics
A short EUMOFA fact sheet giving EU-27 fleet, catch, aquaculture, trade and consumption statistics against world totals, sourced from Eurostat and FAO.
- Statistics
- EU-27
- Country profiles
-
BlueInvest
BlueInvest Investor Report: An Ocean of Opportunities
An investor-facing report profiling sustainable blue economy investment trends and opportunities across Europe, part of the EU's BlueInvest programme to mobilise private capital.
- Investment
- Private capital
-
ICMA and partners
Bonds to Finance the Sustainable Blue Economy: A Practitioner's Guide
Practical guidance for issuers, investors and underwriters on structuring credible blue bonds to finance ocean-related sustainability projects, aligned with global bond market standards.
- Blue bonds
- Structuring
-
EIB
Clean Oceans and the Blue Economy — Overview 2023
An overview of the European Investment Bank's Clean Oceans Initiative and its blue-economy financing activity, covering water, waste management and marine plastics projects.
- Funding
- Marine pollution
2022
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ORRAA
Blue Acceleration: An Ocean of Risks and Opportunities
A report on compounding ocean risk — climate, biodiversity and pollution — and how de-risking instruments such as parametric insurance and resilience bonds can unlock private capital for ocean resilience.
- Risk
- Insurance
- Resilience
2021
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UNEP FI
The Rising Tide: Mapping Ocean Finance for a New Decade
Maps the state of global ocean finance across seafood, ports, maritime transport, coastal tourism and marine renewable energy, and sets out financial instruments to support SDG 14.
- Ocean finance
- SDG 14
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UNEP FI
Turning the Tide: How to Finance a Sustainable Ocean Recovery
The companion to The Rising Tide: practical guidance for banks, insurers and investors applying the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles.
- Banking
- Insurance
- Principles
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Nature Communications
Financing a Sustainable Ocean Economy
A widely cited peer-reviewed paper quantifying the ocean finance gap and reviewing the public and private mechanisms — bonds, blended finance, insurance — available to close it.
- Finance gap
- Research
2020
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McKinsey & Company
Feeding the World Sustainably
An article examining how technology, fisheries management, food-waste reduction and alternative proteins can cut agriculture's emissions while improving food security.
- Food systems
- Technology
-
World Economic Forum
The Ocean Finance Handbook: Increasing Finance for a Healthy Ocean
A practical handbook mapping the financing mechanisms and instruments available to fund ocean sustainability projects and blue economy businesses.
- Financial instruments
- Handbook
-
Ocean Panel
Ocean Solutions That Benefit People, Nature and the Economy
The flagship synthesis report from fourteen heads of government, setting out actions across food, transport, energy, tourism and carbon to sustainably manage national waters.
- Global policy
- Synthesis
2018
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FAO
The Future of Food and Agriculture — Alternative Pathways to 2050
A long-range FAO study modelling three scenarios to 2050 for global food and agriculture systems, covering resource use, climate, food security and policy pathways.
- Scenarios
- 2050
- Food security
-
FAO
Sustainable Food Systems: Concept and Framework
A short FAO brief defining sustainable food systems and setting out the framework FAO uses to assess environmental, social and economic sustainability across the food chain.
- Framework
- Food chain
2017
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World Bank Group
The Sunken Billions Revisited: Progress and Challenges in Global Marine Fisheries
A landmark global analysis estimating the economic losses — around USD 83 billion a year — from fisheries mismanagement, updating the original 2009 Sunken Billions report.
- Fisheries management
- Economic losses
2016
-
OECD
The Ocean Economy in 2030
The OECD flagship study projecting the growth of ocean-based industries — fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, energy, tourism — to 2030, and their economic and environmental implications.
- Projections
- Ocean industries
2015
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WWF
Reviving the Ocean Economy: The Case for Action
A landmark valuation of the ocean's assets at over USD 24 trillion, making the founding economic case for ocean conservation and sustainable blue economy investment.
- Valuation
- Conservation
These are third-party publications and remain hosted on their publishers’ official sites, which guarantees access to the most recent edition.
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