Reeling in sustainable future: FAO unlocks the potential of world fisheries and aquaculture

Today, fisheries and especially aquaculture are ones of the most dynamically developing areas of industrial agriculture, and it is highly likely that they will be the determinants of ensuring global food security in the future.

This was the main idea of the presentation by Igor Shpakov, Senior Consultant at the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, which was delivered on 29 January in Saint Petersburg at the 10th International Conference “Fish. Aquaculture and capture fisheries” during a comprehensive discussion about the development prospects of the global fishing industry.

The Sfera Mediagruppa company organized the event with the support of the Committee for the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

“Every two years, FAO publishes The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) flagship report, which is a valuable resource and a guide of sorts for anyone interested in the fishing industry, from national government representatives and scientists to fishers and end consumers. It discusses the current challenges and prospects of the industry and proposes innovative, evidence-based solutions for its development,” Igor Shpakov set the stage for the presentation.

“The analysis of statistical data conducted by experts from our Organization shows that the production of fish and seafood in the world continues to grow. In particular, capture fisheries increased their contribution to 91.0 million tonnes (+1.4%), while aquaculture demonstrated even more impressive growth, reaching 94.4 million tonnes (+7.6%). These figures confirm that aquaculture is becoming an increasingly important source of fish products, outpacing the growth rate of traditional fishery. It is also worth noting that algae production amounted to impressive 37.8 million tonnes (+4.1%), playing a significant role in the overall structure of the industry.

Marine capture fisheries accounted for over 79 million tonnes of aquatic animals from global capture fisheries in 2022. The Peruvian anchovy (4.9 million tonnes), the Alaska pollock (3.4 million tonnes) and tuna (3.1 million tonnes) were among the species with the highest catch volume.

China (14.3%), Indonesia (8.0%), India (6.0%), Peru (5.8%) and Russia (5.4%) became the top five countries in terms of capture fisheries production.

At the same time, the industry has experienced significant structural changes: while in the past, aquaculture was the leader only in total production volume due to algae, over the past two years it has overtaken capture fisheries in terms of all other parameters. In 2022, aquatic animal production in aquaculture reached 51%, surpassing the capture fisheries figure of 49% for the first time.

Asia produced the major share of aquaculture products, 91.4%, and top ten leading producing countries (89.8% of the total production volume) were China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Egypt and Chile,” Igor Shpakov highlighted.

The analysis of global fishery resources shows that the share of marine stocks exploited at a sustainable level continues to decrease. In 2022, this figure reached 62.3%, which is 2.3% lower than in the previous period. However, there are also positive shifts: for the ten most harvested species the biological sustainability level is already 78.9%, and for tuna it even amounts to 87%. This points to the fact that FAO measures to regulate fisheries, in particular such fundamental documents as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the Agreement to Combat IUU Fishing, have a positive impact on the prospects of fish stock reproduction.

“The fishing industry plays an important role in feeding the global population, providing around 15% of animal protein, and in some Asian and African regions this figure exceeds 50%. This is clearly evidenced by the increase in the consumption of aquatic animal products per capita from 9.1 kg in 1961 to 20.7 kg in 2022.

As for processing types, most of the products, 43%, are supplied live, fresh or chilled. Frozen products (35%), precooked products (12%) and long shelf-life products (10%) account for smaller proportions,” the speaker stated.

According to the FAO outlook, the global production and consumption of fisheries and aquaculture products and trade in them will continue to increase up to 2032, although more slowly than during the previous decades. World production of aquatic animals is expected to amount to around 205 million tonnes in eight years, with aquaculture playing the leading role, providing 111 million tonnes of the total volume, and capture fisheries producing 94 million tonnes. Thus, the gap between aquaculture and capture fisheries production will continue to grow, reaching a ratio of 54% to 46%, respectively.

“It appears that achieving the set goals related to aquatic bioresources depends on meeting three key conditions. First, it is necessary to prudently and responsibly use available production resources, especially water. Second, it is extremely important to reduce loss and waste of harvested and farmed products. And third, unimpeded trade should be actively developed, ensuring access to regional and international markets for producers, especially small ones. The combination of these measures should provide all consumers with a wider and more accessible range of aquatic foods, including their affordability,” Igor Shpakov concluded.

The participants of the plenary session reached a common opinion that global aquaculture currently has impressive potential, being an important component in implementing global strategies to combat hunger and malnutrition. However, its development has to take into account environmental, social and economic aspects, which requires both large-scale implementation of new technologies and methods of fish farming and comprehensive cooperation between national regulators, scientific institutions and public organizations. Such a well-balanced approach will ensure sustainable economic growth in the fishing industry, help strengthen consumer trust and guarantee access to high-quality products for all population categories.

Sergey Bezzubov, Deputy Head of the North-West Interregional Directorate of Rosselkhoznadzor; Oleg Knyazkov, Deputy Head of the Centre for Industry Expertise of Rosselkhozbank; Yuriy Yesikov, Head of the Government Relations Department of the National Association of Agriculture Insurers; Nikolay Mochalov, analyst of the Fish Union non-profit organization; Ekaterina Gritsenko, Director of the Expo Solutions Group business programme; Sergey Podushka, Vice President of the Union of Sturgeon Farmers of Russia; and Tatyana Vaskova, Director of ASK JSC, also spoke at the conference.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The “Fish. Aquaculture and capture fisheries” conference is a unique platform for the productive exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of sustainable aquaculture development and efficient fishery practices. The event features discussions in three specialized areas: aquaculture, capture fisheries, and aquatic bioresources and algae.

The conference brings together representatives of government bodies, employees of specialized research institutes, heads of fishing companies, sea fishing ports and coastal factories engaged in the processing of fish and seafood, and producers of specialized industry equipment.