MARINE AQUACULTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY

Public perception of the environmental and social impacts of the seafood industry, particularly aquaculture, poses a challenge for efforts to increase and regulate the global seafood supply. Social acceptance of marine aquaculture tends to be skewed based on outdated or incorrect information. Marine aquaculture will play an essential role in a balanced food supply that can support more than 9 billion people in a changing climate. It can be done without damaging marine ecosystems and provide a safe, secure, stable supply of seafood while providing good jobs. Ensuring support for marine aquaculture will require that the public has current and accurate information about the best available science that is informing efforts to increase production in the marine environment, including information about seafood's role in the context of the global food supply.

The world population is expected to exceed 9.5 billion by 2050. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, feeding a larger, more urban, and richer population will require 70 percent more food production. Currently, agriculture production accounts for 40 percent of ice-free land use and 70 percent of fresh water use. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface, yet less than 2 percent of the global food supply comes from the ocean. Seafood can be produced using fewer land and water resources than its terrestrial animal protein counterparts. Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector in animal protein production, surpassing beef for the first time in 2013. Demand for seafood continues to grow, and wild fisheries harvests have leveled off and cannot produce additional protein. Meeting the food demands of the growing population in a changing climate will require a balanced food supply that includes higher consumption of seafood from well-managed wild-capture fisheries and environmentally-responsible marine aquaculture.