Innovations in biotechnology have great potential to support a transition to sustainability in aquaculture. However, previous well-intentioned innovations in food systems have often had unintended consequences. These have sometimes undermined their achievements. In this talk, Professor Allison will argue that the sustainability impacts of biotechnological innovations in aquaculture need to be evaluated using a ’full spectrum’ understanding of sustainability.  The talk will introduce “Nature- and People-Positive Aquaculture” as a framework that draws attention to the multiple ways that aquaculture can impact both natural and human systems, positively or negatively.  The framework is currently being used to evaluate the social, economic and environmental performance of existing aquaculture systems, but it can also be adapted to assess the potential impacts of innovations.It can help ensure that marine biotechnological innovations are thoroughly evaluated to maximize their intended benefits and to identify and mitigate the risk of unintended consequences.  The presentation will also highlight that a systems perspective can also highlight how marine biotechnological innovations may be inspired by and combined with “nature based solutions”.