An introduction to East African coastal current ecosystems: At the frontier of climate change and food security

East African marine waters, particularly those impacted by the East African Coastal Current, have a reputation for data sparsity that presents significant challenges to efforts to develop, implement, and operate effective management and governance structures to sustainably manage fisheries and the marine environment. As many coastal communities are dependent upon the ocean for livelihoods and sustenance marine resources are a central component of regional food security. However, the growing challenge of increased food insecurity in response to growing human populations, increased pressures on marine resources and the impacts of climate change is significant and improved knowledge about the marine environment is urgently required to better support decision making efforts to address this challenge. In this introductory paper we present the key findings from a series of observational, numerical and socioeconomic studies addressing issues facing marine food security in the coastal regions of Tanzania and Kenya.