World Aquaculture March 2019

WWW.WA S.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2019 69 Understanding andmeasuring the contribution of aquaculture andfisheries to gross domestic product (GDP) Junning Cai FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 606. The contribution of aquaculture and fisheries to gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the most widely used indicators of its economic performance. Despite strong interest in and great efforts made towards assessing the contribution of aquaculture and fisheries to GDP, there is a general lack of understanding or consensus on how to properly measure the sector’s contribution to GDP and effectively use the measures for evidence-based policy and planning for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries development. While a fisheries GDP measure has been included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (i.e. SDG Indicator 14.7.1: Sustainable fisheries as a percentage of GDP in small island developing states, least developed countries and all countries), it is nevertheless a Tier III indicator for which no internationally established methodology or standards are yet available. This paper contributes to improving the understanding and measurement of aquaculture and fisheries’ contribution to GDP. The paper uses input-output analyses (including mathematical formulas and numerical examples) to clarify conceptual issues and establish an empirical methodology concerning the measurement of the contribution of aquaculture and fisheries to gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, it reveals how to use GDP measures to facilitate evidence-based policy and planning for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries development. Also, this paper standardizes the procedures for measuring the economic contribution of seafood industries and facilitates the establishment of internationally established and accepted measures of the contribution. The measures suggested here can be used to compare the economic status of the aquaculture and fisheries sector in different countries and to monitor the status of a country’s aquaculture and fisheries development over time. Additionally, its conclusions will have value for practitioners in aquaculture and fisheries, the academic community interested in national and regional economics, and students in input-output analysis. While the paper is focused on aquaculture and fisheries, the conceptual framework and empirical methodology it establishes are generally applicable to other industries or sectors. May/mai 5–8 | 2019 Full details available soon at www.aquaculturecanada.ca Conference and Tradeshow Aquaculture Canada For more information: Conference Manager - Gestionnaire de conférence Joanne Burry • Email : jmburry@nl.rogers.com Tel : 1-506-529-4766 Fish Nutrition Fish Physiology Aquaculture and the Environment Shellfish Production Fish Health Human Capital Indigenous Partnerships and Community Engagement Landbased RAS / Alternative Species Production Innovations Youth Engagement Integrated Pest Management Climate Change and Aquaculture Seaweed Culture and Markets Wild and Farmed Interactions Communicating Aquaculture Join us in Beautiful Victoria, British Columbia Sessions being planned: Partnering for a Sustainable Tomorrow