Chapter 16 ? Changes in Aquaculture

SUBASINGHE, ROHANA; BARÓN, PEDRO J.; BEVERIDGE, MALCOM; MARSCHOFF, ENRIQUE; OLIVA, DORIS

The Second World Ocean Assessment

United Nations Publication

Lugar: New York; Año: 2021; p. 237 - 245

Global aquaculture production in 2017 (animals and plants) was recorded as 111.9 million tons, with an estimated first-sale value of $249.6 billion. Since 2000, world aquaculture has ceased to enjoy the high annual growth rates of the 1980s and 1990s (11.3 and 10.0 per cent, respectively). Nevertheless, it continues to grow at a faster rate than other major food production sectors. Annual growth declined to a moderate 5.8 per cent during the period from 2000 to 2016, although double-digit growth still occurred in a small number of countries, in particular in Africa, from 2006 to 2010. Fish produced by this rapidly growing sector is high in protein and contains essential micronutrients, sometimes essential fatty acids, which cannot easily be substituted by other food commodities. The United Nations predicts that the global population will reach 8.5 billion in 2030. This will inevitably increase the pressure on food sectors to increase production and reduce losses and waste. Production increases must be able to ensure sustainability, given a context in which key resources, such as land and water, are likely to be scarcer and the impact of climatic change will intensify. The aquaculture sector is no exception. Success in achieving the long-term goal of economic, social and environmental sustainability of the aquaculture sector, so as to ensure its continued contribution of nutritious food to keep the world healthy, will depend primarily on continued commitments by Governments to provide and support a good governance framework for the sector. As the sector further expands, intensifies and diversifies, it should recognize relevant environmental and social concerns and make conscious efforts to address them in a transparent manner, backed by scientific advice.