Global aquaculture production has surpassed capture fisheries for the first time, the latest UN report into the industry found. In 2022, global fisheries and aquaculture production was 223.2 million tonnes, with 51 per cent coming from aquaculture.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 (SOFIA) report said global aquaculture production reached an “unprecedented 130.9 million tonnes”, of which 94.4 million tonnes were aquatic animals.
Total production comprised 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tonnes of algae. Of that, 89 per cent was for human consumption. The value of international trade in aquatic products reached US$195 billion.
While promising, FAO said more transformative and adaptive actions are needed.
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said the efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability of aquatic food systems still needed to be strengthened to consolidate their role in addressing food insecurity, poverty alleviation, and sustainable governance.
The top 10 countries in aquaculture production – China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Norway, Egypt, and Chile – account for 90 per cent of the industry. The top five exporters are China, Norway, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Chile.
Charles Darwin University professor of Tropical Aquaculture, Sunil Kadri, said, “The largest and fastest growing producer of cultured fish is China, where freshwater fish dominate both growth and volume.”
The FAO said many low-income countries in Africa and Asia need targeted policies, technology transfer, capacity building, and responsible investment to boost sustainable aquaculture where it was most needed.
“Aquatic foods provide high-quality proteins – 15 per cent of animal proteins and 6 per cent of total proteins worldwide – and key nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. In 2021, they contributed at least 20 per cent of the per capita protein supply from all animal sources to 3.2 billion people,” the FAO said.
Kadri explained, “There are several challenges to sustaining growth: available space, especially for coastal aquaculture, where there can be often conflicts over resource use; good quality water, especially freshwater, in which to grow animals is becoming a limiting factor; importantly, climate change is exacerbating these issues, as well as the problem of diseases and fish welfare.”
SOFIA forecasts consumption will increase by 12 per cent to 2032.
The full report is here.
