Global fisheries and aquaculture production has set a new record, with the production of aquatic animals from the aquaculture sector surpassing capture fisheries for the first time. This is what emerges from the new report published today by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO.
According to the 2024 edition of the “State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture” (SOFIA) report, in 2022, global fisheries and aquaculture production peaked at 223.2 million tonnes, representing an increase of 4. 4% compared to 2020. More specifically, 185.4 million tons of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tons of algae were produced. “FAO applauds the important achievements achieved so far, underlining, however, that further transformative and adaptive interventions are needed to strengthen the efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability of aquatic food systems and consolidate their role in fighting food insecurity, poverty reduction and sustainable governance,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.
The SOFIA 2024 report in numbers (All figures, unless otherwise specified, refer to the year 2022).
1 Production
• Global fisheries and aquaculture production: 223.2 million tonnes
• Aquatic animals: 185.4 million tons
• Algae: 37.8 million tons
• World aquaculture production: 130.9 million tonnes
• Global capture fisheries: 92.3 million tonnes
• Aquatic animal production by region: Asia (70 percent), Europe (9 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (9 percent), Africa (7 percent), North America (3 percent), and Oceania (1 percent)
• Top aquatic animal producers by country: China (36 percent), India (8 percent), Indonesia (7 percent), Vietnam (5 percent), and Peru (3 percent)
• Estimated total first-sale value of fisheries and aquaculture production: USD 472 billion
• Estimated total first-sale value of aquaculture production: USD 313 billion
2 Sustainability
• Percentage of sustainably fished marine stocks monitored by FAO (2021): 62.3 percent
• Proportion of the level of sustainably fished marine stocks monitored by FAO, weighted by production (2021): 78.9 percent
° Consumption
• Apparent global consumption of food derived from aquatic animals (2021): 162.5 million tonnes
• Apparent global consumption of foods of aquatic origin (2021): 20.6 kg
• Increase in apparent global consumption of foods of aquatic origin per capita: from 9.1 kg in 1961 to 20.6 kg in 2021
3 Employment
• Individuals employed in primary production: 61.8 million
• Workers by sector: Fisheries (54 percent), aquaculture (36 percent), unspecified sector (10 percent)
• Percentage of jobs by region: Asia (85 percent), Africa (10 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (4 percent), Europe, Oceania and North America combined (1 percent).
4 Commerce
• Main exporters of foods derived from aquatic animals: China, Norway, Vietnam, Ecuador, Chile
• Main importers of foods derived from aquatic animals: United States of America, China, Japan, Spain, France
• Value of international trade in aquatic products: USD 195 billion.