THE FUTURE OF AQUACULTURE AND ITS ROLE IN THE GLOBAL FOOD SYSTEM

This presentation focuses on the role of aquaculture in meeting the world's needs for protein.  As the global population will exceed 9 billion by 2050 and wealth is likely to increase, the demand of meat and seafood will grow considerably.  The case is made that even if all of the world's fisheries were managed for maximum sustainable yield, it is unlikely that harvest from traditional fisheries could increase nearly enough to meet the growing demand. In contrast, global aquaculture production now exceeds the production of beef.  Furthermore, the analysis indicates that aquaculture will increase by over an additional 60 percent and account for nearly two-thirds of all seafood supplied for human consumption by 2030. It is expected that aquaculture growth to continue well beyond 2030.

Despite the global growth, the US has seen almost no growth in seafood demand on a per capita basis.  If fact, US per capita consumption of seafood has declined by about 10 percent since the late 1980s, despite the urging by US recommended dietary guidelines to substantially increase seafood consumption. But when considering individual species groups, it is pointed out that the top 5 account for over 75 percent of US seafood consumption and 4 of the top 5 are aquaculture-dominated - shrimp, salmon, tilapia and Pangasius/catfish.  All of which have seen a tremendous growth rate and all are primarily imported.  Per capita consumption of wild caught species has generally been stagnate or declining in the US.  In addition, US production from marine and coastal aquaculture has been stagnant for 30 years.  Norway produced about the same volume as the US in the early 1990s, now it produces more than 500 percent more than the US in its marine and coastal areas.

It is argued that the aquaculture sector must do a better job to communicate the value of the aquaculture products to consumers and investors.  Aquaculture is highly efficient in feed conversion, water use and in relatively low in effluents and green house gases.  The sector has made great strides in developing sustainable practices to produce a highly nutritious food that tastes good and can be good for the environment. The industry must do better to manage disease, improve feed formulations, control fraud, mislabeling and unsustainable practices.  It must do more to work with the environmental community, traditional fisheries and to encourage regulatory reform.