The imperative for a new integrated sustainability index in aquatic food systems: towards a post-SDGs future

Aquatic food systems are essential to global food security and biodiversity but remain underserved by existing sustainability indexes, especially amid rising uncertainties and accelerating climate change. Current frameworks are fragmented, environmentally weighted, and insufficiently inclusive of social, economic, and governance dimensions. As we move into the post-Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) era, a new transdisciplinary, inclusive tool is needed to drive transformative change. This article identifies critical aspects of aquatic food system sustainability that are often overlooked, and outlines needed improvements in governance, data, and technology. It introduces the AquaIndex – a next-generation sustainability index designed to address current gaps, integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives, and serve as a one-stop global resource for assessing sustainability of aquatic food systems. Drawing on an international workshop convened by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and WorldFish, the article highlights the importance of a global consortium to oversee the development of AquaIndex and making it capable of transforming how sustainability of aquatic food systems is assessed, communicated, and advanced.