FAO: Aquaculture overtakes capture fisheries for the first time
Every two years, the FAO analyses the state of the world's acquatic resources. Now it calls for a “Blue Transformation” – not least in order to increase yields.
Every two years, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) analyses the state of the world's aquatic resources in its report The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA). It also highlights trends in fisheries and aquaculture at a global and regional level. One of the key messages in this year's report: For the first time, more animals are sourced from aquaculture than from capture fisheries.
These are the key figures for 2022, the reference year of the report: Global fisheries and aquaculture production increased to 223.2 million tons, of which 185.4 million tons (live weight) are aquatic animals (fish, crustaceans and mollusks such as mussels and squid) and 37.8 million tons (wet weight) are algae. 97 percent of global algae production comes from aquaculture. 89 percent of animal production is used directly for human consumption, while the remainder is used, for instance, for fish meal and fish oil production.
While yields of capture fisheries have remained largely unchanged for decades at around 90 million tons (79.7 million tons of which will came from the sea in 2022), aquaculture production has risen steadily over the same period. At 94.4 million tons, or 51% of total production, aquaculture surpassed fisheries in the global production of aquatic animals (fish, crustaceans, etc.) for the first time in 2022. The share of aquaculture in direct human nutrition is now as high as 57%.
Estimating Stocks
The FAO report provides important data for describing the status of fish and invertebrate stocks in the sea. The organization relies on a method that has been only slightly adjusted since 1971, ensuring consistency and comparability over time. It uses a fixed list of 445 marine stocks, which account for around 72 percent of global marine fisheries production. Stocks are defined as populations of individual species, e.g. Icelandic cod, Kattegat cod, Northeast Arctic cod, etc. For this analysis, the FAO considers the biomass of the individual stocks in relation to the management concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
Maximum sustainable yield is the objective of fisheries management in accordance with international agreements. If a stock is managed in line with this concept, it is possible to extract the maximum yield in the long term. Maximum sustainable use therefore means optimal use. The FAO defines stocks as maximally sustainably fished or exploited if their biomass reaches more than 80 percent and less than 120 percent of the target value of the MSY concept, i.e. fluctuates around this target value. If the biomass is more than 120 percent of the target value, a stock is underutilized or underfished and therefore still has potential for development. Stocks that are utilized at maximum sustainability or that are underutilized fall into the FAO category of "biologically sustainable stocks"; they are in the green zone. If the biomass is less than 80 percent of the MSY target value, a stock is considered to be unsustainably managed, i.e. overfished. This situation should be avoided as a matter of urgency, as it can lead to long-term yield losses or, in the worst case, to the collapse of the stock.
Around 62 Percent of Stocks are in Good Condition
According to SOFIA 2024, 50.5 percent of stocks surveyed were sustainably fished in the reference year 2021 and 11.8 percent were underutilized. In other words, 62.3 percent of stocks are in good condition. Conversely, this means that 37.7% of stocks were not sustainably exploited, i.e. collapsed or overfished, or are in the process of recovery. For these calculations, all stocks are treated equally, regardless of their size or their share in supplying the global population. A significantly larger proportion (76.9 percent) of the fish and seafood traded on global markets comes from FAO-analyzed stocks in good condition.
Almost two thirds of marine stocks are therefore currently in the green zone, and they also supply over three quarters of the global landings from the sea. Of the ten fish species with the highest landings in 2021, an average of 78.9 percent of stocks were sustainably fished, which is significantly more than the global average. These species include, for example, Peruvian anchovy, Alaska pollock, skipjack tuna and Atlantic herring. 87 percent of the most important tuna stocks are also in good condition. This is an important indication that larger stocks are often better managed than smaller ones. It also underlines the importance of effective fisheries management to recover stocks and increase catches.
Stocks in Poor Condition
Of course, there are also stocks of these species that are in poor condition. One example is the herring of the western Baltic Sea, which was once the staple fish of German Baltic Sea coastal fishing but today provides only 3 percent of the 2017 yield (2017: around 26,500 tons, 2023 only around 720 tons). That 37.7 percent of stocks are in poor condition is a significant and growing problem, as the proportion of stocks in the red zone has been increasing for many years. There is currently no sign of a trend reversal.
Looking at the oceans separately, however, considerable differences emerge: The largest proportion of stocks in good condition is found in the eastern Pacific (84.2 percent), followed by the north-east Atlantic (79.4 percent), i.e. the sea on our doorstep, which also includes the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The situation is worse in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (37.5 percent), with the South-East Pacific bringing up the rear: Only a third of stocks here are in the green zone.
Environmental Impact and Energy Balance
The FAO has pointed out several times in the past that fish and fishery products are not only among the healthiest foods, but also among those with the lowest environmental impact. Most fishery and aquaculture products perform better than land-based animal proteins such as beef, pork and even poultry in terms of potential environmental impact and energy balance. For example, they require less energy during production and cause less greenhouse gases and over-fertilization.
Fishing in particular has another major advantage: It consumes virtually no land or fresh water. Sustainably used fish and other aquatic foods are therefore an ecologically beneficial source of animal protein and can help to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises. There is thus an urgent need for action to accelerate the conservation and recovery of fish stocks. After all, if all fish stocks were in good condition, up to an additional 20 million tons could be harvested each year and made available for human consumption.
Fisheries and Aquaculture are Important Sources of Protein
The recovery of marine stocks is thus essential in view of the importance of fish and seafood for feeding the world's population. Fisheries and aquaculture provide high-quality protein, currently 15 percent of the protein supply from animal sources and 6 percent of total protein worldwide. For 3.2 billion people, at least 20 percent of animal protein supply comes from aquatic life, and in many countries in Africa and Asia it surpasses 50 percent. Low-income countries are generally more dependent on protein from aquatic animals than high-income countries. As the world's population grows, the demand for fish and seafood will therefore continue to increase. By 2050, an estimated global population of 9.7 billion people will need to be fed. Increasing sustainable production is therefore crucial to ensure a healthy diet, including aquatic foods.
The growth of aquaculture to date shows that it is capable of continuing to contribute to meeting the growing global demand for food from the water. However, 91.4 percent of global aquaculture production currently comes from Asia, 2.7 percent from Europe and only 1.9 percent from Africa. Ten countries produce 89.8 percent of the total, with China in first place, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam and Norway as the only European country. There is therefore a considerable geographical imbalance.
More Sustainability and Efficiency through "Blue Transformation"
In the face of these challenges, the FAO in its report focuses in particular on a "Blue Transformation". This refers to far-reaching adjustment and innovation in fisheries and aquaculture that aim to make these sectors more sustainable and efficient. It comprises three main objectives:
"Blue Transformation"
- Intensification and expansion of aquaculture: The aim is to increase aquatic animal and plant production by 35 percent by 2030, including addressing the geographical inequalities described above through targeted policies, technology transfer and responsible investment. Part of the FAO's work will therefore focus in particular on how aquaculture can be promoted in regions where it has not yet developed successfully (e.g. in Africa).
- Improving fisheries management: The aim here is to manage 100 percent of fisheries in the sea and inland waters sustainably. Many positive examples, particularly in the management of large fish stocks, show that effective fisheries management can make a significant contribution to the recovery of stocks and thus to increasing yields.
- Further development of the value chains: The aim is to increase yields by improving utilization and reducing losses during fish processing, which can total up to 35 percent. In addition, the value of products is to be increased and access to markets facilitated. The FAO hopes to increase yield from capture fisheries by 3 million tons and from aquaculture (animals only) by 17 million tons by 2032.
The development of the world's population, the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity require considerable effort to increase global production of fisheries and aquaculture. Fisheries have been producing constant yields for a long time, but good fisheries management is urgently needed in all regions of the world so that yields can increase once overfished stocks have recovered.
Aquaculture continues to show potential for growth, but the geographical imbalance must be reduced by promoting certain regions. Fisheries and aquaculture must together make a significant contribution to improving global food security while ensuring environmental and social sustainability. The FAO believes that this is possible.
Dr. Kristina Barz is a scientist at Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, where since 2010 she has been in charge of the website www.fischbestaende-online.de, which provides information on all aspects of the sustainable use of wild fish that are relevant to the German market.
Sources
FAO. 2024. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024. Blue Transformation in action. Rome.
https://doi.org/10.4060/cd0683en
FAO. 2020. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020. Sustainability in action. Rome.
https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9229en
Hilborn et al., 2018, The environmental cost of animal source foods, Front Ecol Environ 2018; 16(6): 329–335
Gephart, J.A., Henriksson, P.J.G., Parker, R.W.R. et al. Environmental performance of blue foods. Nature 597, 360–365 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03889-2
