Fish, feeds, and food security

Abstract

Fish or aquatic foods are an important but often little recognized element in food security and nutrition, and fish supply will have to be expanded significantly if future population needs are to be met.Prices will probably rise with increasing demand, and there are concerns that fish can be accessible and affordable to poorer and more vulnerable people, particularly those who are highly dependent on fish for nutrition or income.Capture fisheries are under increasing pressure from overfishing, climate change, and other impacts, and future supply increases will have to come from aquaculture, which may have to double or triple in output.This is potentially feasible with available land and water resources, but dependence on fish-based feeds, a significant feature of the recent growth of aquaculture, will have to be reduced substantially, using species feeding lower in the aquatic food chain, and more terrestrially derived feeds for more demanding species.With a diverse range of species, and a well placed selection of systems and production approaches, access to lower cost aquatic foods also has the potential to be sustained and expanded. Fish or aquatic foods are an important but often little recognized element in food security and nutrition, and fish supply will have to be expanded significantly if future population needs are to be met. Prices will probably rise with increasing demand, and there are concerns that fish can be accessible and affordable to poorer and more vulnerable people, particularly those who are highly dependent on fish for nutrition or income. Capture fisheries are under increasing pressure from overfishing, climate change, and other impacts, and future supply increases will have to come from aquaculture, which may have to double or triple in output. This is potentially feasible with available land and water resources, but dependence on fish-based feeds, a significant feature of the recent growth of aquaculture, will have to be reduced substantially, using species feeding lower in the aquatic food chain, and more terrestrially derived feeds for more demanding species. With a diverse range of species, and a well placed selection of systems and production approaches, access to lower cost aquatic foods also has the potential to be sustained and expanded.