The MC component of this project has delivered both high-impact scholarly outputs and lasting collaborative networks. Funding has supported the completion of two manuscripts; the planning, execution, and completion of an international workshop that convened experts working on aquatic food systems; and the partial development of two different project subcomponents (e.g. developing nutrient reference points for reef fisheries; examining reef fish species composition changes and their implications for sustainability assessments).
Below, I outline, under key subheadings, the academic progress that has been made throughout the course of the fellowship.
A: Estimating the food provisioning and nutrient potential of coral reef fisheries
During my MC fellowship I worked on two related subprojects: (i) examining the food provisioning potential of restoring coral reef fisheries, and (ii) developing nutrition-sensitive reference points for reef fisheries. Subproject (i), published in PNAS (ref 1), showed that across 23 analyzed jurisdictions, rebuilding depleted coral reef fish stocks could increase sustainable food yields by nearly 50%, potentially providing millions of additional fish servings annually. Subproject (ii) is still in preparation (ref 2), but we are finding that nutrition sensitive management on coral reefs can provide millions of nutrient supplies across the globe, particularly in undernourished locations.
B: Predicting the nutrient content of underrepresented aquatic foods
We integrated nutrient composition data with species-specific environmental and ecological trait data to (i) quantify the contribution of aquatic invertebrates to global nutrient supplies and (ii) determine how taxonomy, environmental and ecological traits, and consumption patterns (e.g. body parts or processing methods) shape the nutrient content of invertebrates. This allowed us to predict the nutrient composition of > 50,000 macroinvertebrate species registered globally, most of which lack empirical nutrient composition data, showcasing aquatic invertebrates’ potential contributions to public health and nutrition security in different geographies (including coral reefs). During my MC fellowship I performed analyses and addressed manuscript reviews, which have now been provisionally accepted at Nature (ref 3).
C: Understanding nutrition-sensitive aquatic food management
Integrating the knowledge of different experts in the field during our in-person workshop was critical to (i) define and set the principles that underpin nutrition-sensitive aquatic food systems, (ii) identify the different pathways by which aquatic food systems can become nutrition-sensitive, and (iii) exemplify, using data science, how to operationalize nutrition-sensitive aquatic food management. Outcomes from the workshop are being synthesized into a forthcoming manuscript (i.e. ref 4), have been and will be presented in upcoming international conferences (e.g. Corals, Coasts and One Health Nature Conference and ICRS Conference), and will inform future collaborative projects and funding proposals.
Relevant Reference List:
Zamborain-Mason, J., Cinner, J. E., MacNeil, M. A., Beger, M., Booth, D., Ferse, S. C., ... & Connolly, S. R. (2025). Potential yield and food provisioning gains from rebuilding the world’s coral reef fish stocks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(51), e2508805122.
Zamborain-Mason, J., Robinson, J., Hicks, C., Graham, N., … & Golden, C. (incorporating coauthor input). Nutrition-sensitive sustainable reference points for multispecies coral reef fisheries.
Zamborain-Mason, J., Marwaha, N., Yoo, S-H,, D., Hicks C.,… & Golden, C. (pending minor review: Nature). The nutritional value of invertebrate aquatic foods.
Zamborain-Mason, J., Golden, C., Marwaha, N., Free, C.M. … & Hicks, C. (incorporating coauthor input). Operationalizing nutrition-sensitive aquatic food systems.
