July 5, 2022

 

FAO: Farmed Atlantic salmon exports exceeds all other fish categories

 

The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) latest biennial report showed that farmed Atlantic salmon exports reached US$27.6 billion in 2020, exceeding all other categories of fish in that year, Fish Information & Services reported.

 

According to the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report 2022 (SOFIA), 2.71 million tonnes of Atlantic salmon were produced worldwide, or 32.6% of all fish raised in aquaculture in 2020. Dairy fish comes in second place with 1.16 million tonnes, or 14% of global farmed fish production.

 

The SOFIA report said salmon has a strong competitive position in the global market as a versatile and valuable species suitable for large-scale aquaculture.

 

Atlantic salmon aquaculture has developed into one of the most prosperous and technologically sophisticated industries. The industry also sets the bar for funding, organising, and carrying out sizable international marketing campaigns, and it has successfully built a logistics network to transport fresh aquatic products by air to foreign markets.

 

Norway and Chile were the top exporters of salmon in 2020, accounting for 7.4% of the global total (US$11 billion). Exports of salmon and trout represented 18.4% of the value of all aquatic products in 2020, up from 5.1% in 1976.

 

The report said that the COVID-19 pandemic's initial price drop and subsequent logistical challenges didn't break the salmon farming industry, which reflects the strength of underlying demand and the sector's ability to adapt to changing conditions.

 

A record 122.6 million tonnes of aquaculture products were produced globally in 2020, with a trade value of US$264.8 billion. The category of marine and coastal aquaculture, which salmon is a part of, contains about 68 million tonnes.

 

The report showed in 2020, people consumed about 20.2 kg per person, more than twice as much as they did 50 years ago.

 

The FAO anticipates a roughly 6% increase in per capita consumption of wild and farmed seafood to 21.4 kg by 2030, predicting that this would be fueled by improving post-harvest operations and distribution, rising incomes, increased production, and shifting dietary trends.

 

In light of the current global challenges, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu sees big opportunities in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

 

The report also showed the salmon farming industry is making progress in maintaining sustainability. According to Qu, less than 10% of producers' diets now contain farmed Atlantic salmon.

 

-      Fish Information & Services