Courtesy of World Fishing & Aquaculture:
The new edition of FAO’s ‘State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture’ has been released.
According to the new report, global fisheries and aquaculture production totalled 158 million tonnes in 2012 – around 10 million tonnes more than 2010.
The rapid expansion of aquaculture, including the activities of small-scale farmers, is driving this growth in production, and the report says that fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food which is taking place due to global population growth.
Fish now accounts for almost 17% of the global population’s intake of protein
At the same time, the report says that the planet’s oceans – if sustainably managed – have an important role to play in providing jobs and feeding the world.
“The health of our planet as well as our own health and future food security all hinge on how we treat the blue world,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said. “We need to ensure that environmental well-being is compatible with human well-being in order to make long-term sustainable prosperity a reality for all. For this reason, FAO is committed to promoting ‘Blue Growth,’ which is based on the sustainable and responsible management of our aquatic resources.”
The renewed focus on the so-called ‘blue world’ comes as the share of fisheries production used by humans for food has increased from about 70% in the 1980s to a record high of more than 85% (136 million tonnes) in 2012.
At the same time per capita fish consumption has soared from 10kg in the 1960s to more than 19kg in 2012.
The report also says fish now accounts for almost 17% of the global population’s intake of protein – in some coastal and island countries it can top 70%.
FAO estimates that fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of 10-12% of the world’s population.
Since 1990 employment in the sector has grown at a faster rate than the world’s population and in 2012 provided jobs for some 60 million people engaged in capture fisheries and aquaculture. Of these, 84% were employed in Asia, followed by Africa with about 10%.
The full report is available on the FAO website.
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