Nicholas D Carter
@nicholasdcarter.bsky.social
🌳 Director of Environmental Science at Game Changers 2.
🌎 Research Fellow at Project Drawdown: climate solutions focused on food, agriculture & land.
🌱 Co-founder of iffs.earth
🌎 Research Fellow at Project Drawdown: climate solutions focused on food, agriculture & land.
🌱 Co-founder of iffs.earth
Great points & the paper highlighting fishmeal sourced from nutritionally vulnerable areas is another reason to stop fish farming.
Insect farming, at scale, would mostly be in the global south (warmer) where they'd face invasive escape risks.
It's a lose-lose.
More plant-rich diets are key.
Insect farming, at scale, would mostly be in the global south (warmer) where they'd face invasive escape risks.
It's a lose-lose.
More plant-rich diets are key.
February 10, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Great points & the paper highlighting fishmeal sourced from nutritionally vulnerable areas is another reason to stop fish farming.
Insect farming, at scale, would mostly be in the global south (warmer) where they'd face invasive escape risks.
It's a lose-lose.
More plant-rich diets are key.
Insect farming, at scale, would mostly be in the global south (warmer) where they'd face invasive escape risks.
It's a lose-lose.
More plant-rich diets are key.
Yes, reducing forage fishing is important. Where have I said otherwise?
Why would trying to do so through a higher GHGs & equally ecosystem risky option like trillions of insects be the answer? Esp when soy is available, or you know, reducing demand for fish farming...
Why would trying to do so through a higher GHGs & equally ecosystem risky option like trillions of insects be the answer? Esp when soy is available, or you know, reducing demand for fish farming...
February 9, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Yes, reducing forage fishing is important. Where have I said otherwise?
Why would trying to do so through a higher GHGs & equally ecosystem risky option like trillions of insects be the answer? Esp when soy is available, or you know, reducing demand for fish farming...
Why would trying to do so through a higher GHGs & equally ecosystem risky option like trillions of insects be the answer? Esp when soy is available, or you know, reducing demand for fish farming...
Fish farming is better off with fortified soy since it’s cheaper & lower GHGs, if we assume it's a necessity.
I’m also curious where advocates for this imagine insect mega farms with trillions needing farmed would be located? Likely marginalized communities. It's a terrible goal.
I’m also curious where advocates for this imagine insect mega farms with trillions needing farmed would be located? Likely marginalized communities. It's a terrible goal.
February 9, 2026 at 3:24 AM
Fish farming is better off with fortified soy since it’s cheaper & lower GHGs, if we assume it's a necessity.
I’m also curious where advocates for this imagine insect mega farms with trillions needing farmed would be located? Likely marginalized communities. It's a terrible goal.
I’m also curious where advocates for this imagine insect mega farms with trillions needing farmed would be located? Likely marginalized communities. It's a terrible goal.
About 20% of fish caught is reduced to oil & fishmeal. Let's say there's trillions of insects farmed & fed to farmed fish (costing more $ & GHGs) displacing some fishmeal in a decade. The same fleets have quotas for fish reduced to oil & will likely divert co-product meal to growing chicken/pigs
February 9, 2026 at 3:07 AM
About 20% of fish caught is reduced to oil & fishmeal. Let's say there's trillions of insects farmed & fed to farmed fish (costing more $ & GHGs) displacing some fishmeal in a decade. The same fleets have quotas for fish reduced to oil & will likely divert co-product meal to growing chicken/pigs
You misread my point. I'm not denying the eco importance of low trophic level fish, that's a strawman
Forage fishing doesn't necessarily decrease if insects manage to displace *some* fishmeal for fish farming. Fish oil & livestock feed use still. And again, see 📃 on big invasive risks with insects.
Forage fishing doesn't necessarily decrease if insects manage to displace *some* fishmeal for fish farming. Fish oil & livestock feed use still. And again, see 📃 on big invasive risks with insects.
February 8, 2026 at 2:29 PM
You misread my point. I'm not denying the eco importance of low trophic level fish, that's a strawman
Forage fishing doesn't necessarily decrease if insects manage to displace *some* fishmeal for fish farming. Fish oil & livestock feed use still. And again, see 📃 on big invasive risks with insects.
Forage fishing doesn't necessarily decrease if insects manage to displace *some* fishmeal for fish farming. Fish oil & livestock feed use still. And again, see 📃 on big invasive risks with insects.
Appreciate the comment. You and your co-authors work was very helpful in weighing all the pros and cons.
February 8, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Appreciate the comment. You and your co-authors work was very helpful in weighing all the pros and cons.
Soy fish-feed has improved with fortifications (synthetic amino acids, protein blends) though, as I understand it, largely making the nutritional difference minimal vs insects. I still don't think even this justifies growth in fish farming but perhaps that's another debate.
February 8, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Soy fish-feed has improved with fortifications (synthetic amino acids, protein blends) though, as I understand it, largely making the nutritional difference minimal vs insects. I still don't think even this justifies growth in fish farming but perhaps that's another debate.
Curious if you have a source for that. Yes a good share of fishmeal still comes from wild forage fish, but l'd hypothesize that reducing fishmeal use does little for ocean ecosystems unless fishing pressure is reduced significantly too.
& don't underestimate the risks of invasive insects.
& don't underestimate the risks of invasive insects.
February 7, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Curious if you have a source for that. Yes a good share of fishmeal still comes from wild forage fish, but l'd hypothesize that reducing fishmeal use does little for ocean ecosystems unless fishing pressure is reduced significantly too.
& don't underestimate the risks of invasive insects.
& don't underestimate the risks of invasive insects.
Great suggestion Michael thanks. Certainly the location and heating amount needed is a big influence on GHGs, but at best it'll bring to around the same footprint as chicken (see Thailand source), and still won't address ecosystem risks of invasive escapes.
February 7, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Great suggestion Michael thanks. Certainly the location and heating amount needed is a big influence on GHGs, but at best it'll bring to around the same footprint as chicken (see Thailand source), and still won't address ecosystem risks of invasive escapes.
Well even using insects as fish-feed would still require large, temperature controlled facilities (often FF powered) with grain inputs. And it'd be replacing current fish-meal or soy-meal, both lower emitting.
February 7, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Well even using insects as fish-feed would still require large, temperature controlled facilities (often FF powered) with grain inputs. And it'd be replacing current fish-meal or soy-meal, both lower emitting.
The Earth Rover team showed peat-carbon estimates were off by ~20% by revealing peat–soil boundary.
They can now track soil density, moisture, & crop impacts in more detail.
Next: measure texture, carbon, & scale to whole fields.
This could one day give fast ⬇️$ soil readings for farms globally.
They can now track soil density, moisture, & crop impacts in more detail.
Next: measure texture, carbon, & scale to whole fields.
This could one day give fast ⬇️$ soil readings for farms globally.
December 6, 2025 at 10:14 PM
The Earth Rover team showed peat-carbon estimates were off by ~20% by revealing peat–soil boundary.
They can now track soil density, moisture, & crop impacts in more detail.
Next: measure texture, carbon, & scale to whole fields.
This could one day give fast ⬇️$ soil readings for farms globally.
They can now track soil density, moisture, & crop impacts in more detail.
Next: measure texture, carbon, & scale to whole fields.
This could one day give fast ⬇️$ soil readings for farms globally.
More effective for climate but with tradeoffs still in likely increased pandemic and antibiotic use risk, & likely more runoff/eutrophication than beef.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
More effective for climate but with tradeoffs still in likely increased pandemic and antibiotic use risk, & likely more runoff/eutrophication than beef.
A lack of clear messaging (although it's improving) & yeah even if perfectly done, I agree, simply telling people won't do much. Just like telling people to buy less stuff, fly less, use less plastic, etc. is less effective than building better institutions/choice options/incentives/cultural change.
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
A lack of clear messaging (although it's improving) & yeah even if perfectly done, I agree, simply telling people won't do much. Just like telling people to buy less stuff, fly less, use less plastic, etc. is less effective than building better institutions/choice options/incentives/cultural change.
This is all changing quickly and I think you're right in a recent uptick again.
The title of this is misleading but signs still of some slowing growth (maybe peak) in certain countries, unfortunately it's not going to more lentils but instead more chicken:
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11...
The title of this is misleading but signs still of some slowing growth (maybe peak) in certain countries, unfortunately it's not going to more lentils but instead more chicken:
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11...
November 21, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is all changing quickly and I think you're right in a recent uptick again.
The title of this is misleading but signs still of some slowing growth (maybe peak) in certain countries, unfortunately it's not going to more lentils but instead more chicken:
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11...
The title of this is misleading but signs still of some slowing growth (maybe peak) in certain countries, unfortunately it's not going to more lentils but instead more chicken:
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11...