Abstract
The contribution of aquatic animal protein to the global, animal-source protein supply and the relative importance of aquaculture to capture fisheries in supplying this protein is relevant in assessments and decisions related to the future of aquatic food production and its security. Meat of terrestrial animals, milk, and eggs resulted in 76,966 Kt crude protein compared with 13,950 Kt or 15.3% from aquatic animals in 2018.While aquaculture produced a greater tonnage of aquatic animals, capture fisheries resulted in 7,135 Kt crude protein while aquaculture yielded 6,815 Kt. Capture fisheries production has not increased in the past two decades, and aquaculture production must increase to assure the growing demand for fisheries products by a larger and more affluent population. We estimated based on status quo consumption, that aquaculture production would need to increase from 82,087 Kt in 2018 to 129,000 Kt by 2050 to meet the demand of the greater population. About two-thirds of finfish and crustacean production by aquaculture is feed-based, and feeds for these species include fishmeal and fish oil as ingredients. Aquaculture feeds require a major portion of the global supply of fishmeal and fish oil. An estimated 71.0% of fishmeal and 73.9% of fish oil are made from the catch with the rest coming from aquatic animal processing waste. The catch of small, pelagic fish from the ocean is not predicted to increase in the future. Aquaculture should reduce its fishmeal and oil use to lessen its dependency on small wild fish important to the integrity of marine food webs and food security for the poor in many coastal areas. Fishmeal and fish oil shortages for use in aquaculture feed will result in a limit on production in the future if goals to lessen their use in feeds are not met.
Highlights
Agriculture has provided humans with terrestrial, animalsource food for at least 5,000 years (Larsen, 2003; Modlinska & Pisula, 2018), but fish and other aquatic animals have traditionally been caught from the ocean and inland waters
The importance of differences in meat yields of animals is evident from a study by Edwards et al (2019) in which they found that aquaculture production of animals for human consumption exceeds capture fisheries production, more meat was produced by the capture fisheries as a result of differences in meat yield among different species within the two sectors
Capture fisheries and aquaculture are important to the global animal-source protein supply, but only aquaculture is growing in its contribution to the supply
Summary
Agriculture has provided humans with terrestrial, animalsource food for at least 5,000 years (Larsen, 2003; Modlinska & Pisula, 2018), but fish and other aquatic animals have traditionally been caught from the ocean and inland waters. Farming of aquatic animals has been done for more than 2,000 years, this practice did not become a noticeable factor in global meat production until the twentieth century (Stickney, 2000). Aquaculture production surpassed capture fisheries production for human consumption in 2016 (FAO, 2020a), and it contributed 52% of the total harvest weight of aquatic animals for human consumption in 2018 (FAO, 2020a, c). The amount of consumed meat from an animal is less than the animal’s weight because certain of its parts are not suitable for food or are not preferred for food (Boler & Woerner, 2017; Wright, 2016). The importance of differences in meat yields of animals is evident from a study by Edwards et al (2019) in which they found that aquaculture production of animals for human consumption exceeds capture fisheries production, more meat was produced by the capture fisheries as a result of differences in meat yield among different species within the two sectors
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