The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) today announced an international initiative to enhance understanding of the role that fish farming plays for food security in developing countries. The alliance AFSPAN (Aquaculture for Food Security, Poverty Alleviation and Nutrition) will bring together development agencies, governments and universities. The EU has provided one million Euros for the three-year project, which is intended to help countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to develop sustainable policies to improve the livelihoods of millions of people. “The project will work closely with fish farming communities and will focus on field research in many major aquaculture countries in the developing world”, said FAO’s senior expert on aquaculture, Rohana Subasinghe. Fish is the main source of protein for 17 percent of the world's population – nearly 25 percent in low-income, food-insecure countries. However, overfishing and climate change are now posing a threat to fish stocks. A new study by the University of British Columbia found that global warming is likely to shrink the size of fish by as much as a quarter by 2050 due to the difficulties presented by warmer, oxygen-poor waters. The scientists have also warned of a reduction of overall fish stocks.