July 14, 2016

World fish consumption rises as aquaculture supply swells

Stronger aquaculture supply and firm demand, record hauls for some key species and reduced wastage have resulted in a rise in global per-capita fish consumption to above 20 kilogrammes a year for the first time, a new FAO report said.

Despite notable progress in some areas, however, the state of the world's marine resources has not improved, as almost a third of commercial fish stocks are now fished at biologically unsustainable levels, triple the level of 1974, according to the latest edition of the UN agency's The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).

Global total capture fishery production in 2014 was 93.4 million tonnes, including output from inland waters, up slightly over the previous two years. Alaska pollock was the top species, replacing anchoveta for the first time since 1998 and offering evidence that effective resource management practices have worked well. Record catches for four highly valuable groups—tunas, lobsters, shrimps and cephalopods-were reported in 2014.

Globally, fish provided 6.7% of all protein consumed by humans, offering a rich source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, calcium, zinc and iron. Some 57 million people were engaged in the primary fish production sectors, a third of them in aquaculture.

Aquaculture

That the global supply of fish for human consumption has outpaced population growth in the past five decades is due in large measure to growth in aquaculture (preliminary estimates suggest per-capita intakes higher than 20 kilogrammes, double the level of the 1960s).

The aquaculture sector's global production rose to 73.8 million tonnes in 2014, a third of which comprised molluscs, crustaceans and other non-fish animals. In terms of both food security and environmental sustainability, about half of the world's aquaculture production of animals-often shellfish and carp-and plants-including seaweeds and microalgae-came from non-fed species.

While China remains the leading nation for aquaculture, it is expanding even faster elsewhere, the report noted. In Nigeria, aquaculture output is up almost 20-fold over the past two decades, and all of sub-Saharan Africa is not far behind. Chile and Indonesia have also posted remarkable growth, as have Norway and Vietnam-now the world's No. 2 and No. 3 fish exporters.

The report said aquaculture's strengths and challenges are also influencing what fish end up on our plates. Measured as a share of world trade in value terms, salmon and trout are now the largest single commodity, an honor that for decades belonged to shrimp.