Category: ARTICLES_REPORTS_INDUSTRIAL_OCEAN_2018_RELATED

Global fish production will continue to expand over the next decade even though the amount of fish being captured in the wild has levelled off and aquaculture’s previously explosive growth is now slowing, says a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Since the 1960s, the average annual increase in global fish consumption (3.2 percent) has outpaced population growth (1.6 percent) and exceeded the combined consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals (2.8 percent). In per capita terms, global fish consumption has more than doubled from 9.0 kg (19.84 lbs) in 1961 to 20.5 kg (45.19 lbs) in 2017. And according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this figure is expected to swell to 21.5 kg (47.39) by 2030 due to growing populations and incomes.

Almost 90 percent of global marine fish stocks are now fully exploited or overfished, and wild capture fisheries struggle without sound regulatory frameworks and strong enforcement. The status of marine biodiversity is closely connected with ocean pollution and acidification. About two-thirds of the world’s oceans showed signs of increased human impact between 2008 and 2013. Goal 14 recognizes these broad challenges and seeks the conservation and sustainable use of oceans.

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 presents FAO’s official world fishery and aquaculture statistics. Global fish production* peaked at about 171 million tonnes in 2016, with aquaculture representing 47 percent of the total and 53 percent, if non-food uses (including reduction to fishmeal and fish oil) are excluded.

Over the last century, habitat destruction and unchecked harvest have caused a precipitous decline in many wild fish populations. Popular choices like cod and tuna have been pushed to the brink of global collapse. With the growth of the human population, demand has increased while wild stocks have dwindled. In the face of this rising pressure, farming (aquaculture) has provided an ostensibly sustainable alternative to the continued exploitation of wild systems. Today, roughly half of the global seafood supply is farmed- a market worth an estimated $125 billion US.