The amount of fish being farmed will have to double by 2030 in order to fulfil the demands of a growing population, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO).

Traditional capture fisheries have now reached their maximum production levels, but as the global population rises, so, too, does the demand for fish. Currently, around 45 per cent of all fish consumed by humans – around 48 million tonnes per year – is farmed. This amount will need to increase to 85 million tonnes just to maintain current per capita consumption levels, according to Jacque Diouf, the director general of the UNFAO. ‘World aquaculture has grown by an average annual rate of 8.8 per cent since 1970, compared to only 2.8 per cent for land-based animal production,’ he said. Diouf called for aquaculture industries worldwide to be put to the top of international development agendas.

Aquaculture plays an important role in the development of poorer communities around the world, as well as supplying a nutritious food source that can help to alleviate hunger and boost food security. Currently, in Asia alone, the industry employs some 12 million people. 


Kate Warburton

February 2008