An annual report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlights the organization's work with Duke University and WorldFish on the global Illuminating Hidden Harvests initiative. “Part of Duke’s mission is to provide knowledge in the service of society, and this partnership with FAO allows us to conduct actionable research that can help support the millions of livelihoods worldwide that are dependent upon small-scale fisheries," said John Virdin, director of the Ocean Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute.

Building on a global study released earlier this year, a new paper led by Duke University researchers provides global estimates of the number of livelihoods supported by small-scale fisheries, distinguishing between subsistence and commercial fishing. The paper, published in the journal Nature Food, uses measures of subsistence fishing to highlight the importance of small-scale fisheries as a safety net for local communities.

An article in National Fisherman highlighted top findings from Illuminating Hidden Harvests: The Contributions of Small-Scale Fisheries to Sustainable Development, a collaborative research effort led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Duke University and WorldFish.

Duke University scholars and students were among more than 800 experts who contributed to the global Illuminating Hidden Harvests study detailing the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development. The collaborative research effort was led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Duke, and WorldFish.

A blog post by John Virdin (Nicholas Institute) and Raian Divanbeigi (World Bank) summarizes the findings of a World Bank Learning Engagement Note on maximizing potential job benefits in fisheries projects.

Agreements allowing foreign vessels to fish in the waters of West African states look to be bad deals for both host countries and foreign companies. It’s time to look at the alternatives, writes John Virdin, director of the Oceans and Coastal Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, in an op-ed published by China Dialogue.

In a new commentary in 360info, John Virdin, Director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program, explains how illegal fishing threatens small-scale fishers and the global fishing industry's sustainability efforts. Virdin says lessons from transparency initiatives in the fashion, timber, and oil and gas industries could help end illegal fishing.

John Virdin was among the experts who spoke to New Scientist for a cover story on how the rapid increase in ocean-based industry can be balanced with vital environmental protections.

A major new assessment finds that aquatic foods present a potential solution to malnutrition around the globe. John Virdin told Axios that it is "important to get ocean food systems into the global conversation about ending hunger."

John Virdin will be part of a high-level advisory council formed by the Environmental Defense Fund to focus on accelerating technological progress toward greater ocean conservation, ecosystem health, and sustainable marine fisheries.