The call for greater investment into the production of seafoods around the world came from FAO chief economist Máximo Torero, who recently presented the findings of an FAO report into the fisheries and aquaculture industries to agriculture ministers from the G7 countries.
According to the FAO State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 report, global seafood production has reached an all-time high. However, during his presentation, Torero stated that for global seafood consumption to remain at current levels, by 2050 the global supply will have to increase by 22 percent to keep pace with the world’s growing population.
Further complicating this need for an increase in production, consumption rates and population growth differ significantly between global regions. For example, seafood consumption across Africa is lower than the global average, and to increase this in line with the global average by 2050 would require a 285 percent increase in production.
“These figures are a serious reflection of the ongoing challenge to feed the world, requiring major investments and transformation in the sector. This is at the core of FAO’s call to invest in a Blue Transformation, for a world where aquatic foods play a more significant and impactful role in ending hunger and poverty,” said Torero, in a press release.
Whilst aquaculture is poised to play an increasingly important role in seafood production, Torero stated that wild capture fisheries still make an important contribution to food security. However, the ecological sustainability of wild-capture fisheries is increasingly called into question, with the FAO reporting that almost 40 percent of exploited marine populations were being fished above biologically sustainable levels, in 2021.
In his presentation, Torero also emphasised the importance of the seafood industries for livelihood provision, stating 62 million people are employed in the field, with over 90 percent of these working in small-scale fisheries operations. Including the full value chain of the industries, it is estimated that about 600 million people depend upon the sector for employment, highlighting the need for a holistic and inclusive approach to any significant changes to the industry going forwards. This includes the adoption of greater gender equality within the industry.
