Aquaculture, i.e. the farming of aquatic plants and animals, is the fastest growing food production sector. With the global population expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050 and with over 800 million suffering from hunger, feeding the planet is a priority and aquaculture presents a unique opportunity to do this. Sustainable aquaculture has the potential to not only safeguard natural resources, but to provide healthy products, create employment and lead to socio-economic growth.
Many marine resources are currently under threat with most fish stocks being fully or over-exploited and there are gloomy predictions of steep decline in fishery resources. Furthermore, though it is clear that with climate change some species will be displaced, there will be disruptions to the food chain and physiological effects, such as effects in reproduction and calcification of some species, a lot is still unknown about the full extent of the impact of climate change in aquatic species. In recent years, and given the current pressure on natural resources, the productivity of fisheries has also stopped increasing, with captures remaining the same, despite the growing demand for fish. This has prompted governments to focus efforts in supporting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and invest in the search for long-term solutions. A key challenge is to ensure that sustainable practices are followed for both aquaculture and fisheries, to avoid damage to the environment. A recent review of global aquaculture status and trends can be found in here.
Currently a few hundred aquatic species are farmed, including fish, crustaceans, seaweed and others. Some of the species currently consumed in the UK are produced by aquaculture, such as the Scottish salmon and mussels, British trout, seabass (from the Mediterranean) and prawns (mostly from SE Asia). Other species, such as the cod are still at an early stage of production. In fact, similarly to what happens in the EU, most salmonids, crustaceans and bivalves UK consumers buy come from aquaculture.
Most of the world production takes place in Asian countries, with China being by far the largest producer. A review of the state of the world fisheries and aquaculture is published every 2 years by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN), which compiles global statistics and further discusses selected issues, such as the role of aquaculture in improving nutrition. European aquaculture production has struggled to compete with emerging markets and investment has increased over the past few years, to support international competitiveness. Within the EU, the UK is the top producer by value and the second by volume, in great part due to the contribution of Scottish aquaculture. An overview of aquaculture production in the EU by country can be found in here as well as each country’s multiannual plans and priorities for aquaculture development.
Supporting sustainable aquaculture is a growing priority for EU countries and NGOs, with research and innovation having an essential role in guaranteeing sustainable development, to safeguard natural natural resources for future generations.