The International Salmon Farmers Association released the report 'Salmon Farming: Sustaining Communities and Feeding the World' at the Seafood Expo North America trade show in Boston, US.
The report shows that the global salmon farming industry produces $10 billion worth of salmon each year, creates 121,000 direct and indirect jobs around the world and stimulates thousands more spin-off jobs and economic growth in a wide variety of other sectors.
“This report celebrates a remarkable achievement. Since our industry began about 40 years ago, farmed salmon has become a staple of healthy, nutritious and affordable diets around the world, and our industry has become an economic driver and social mainstay of rural communities across the globe,” said Trond Davidsen, President of the International Salmon Farmers Association.
Six countries in Asia are taking the lead in collaboration with the FAO to deliver “blue growth” – a regional initiative which aims to promote the intensification of aquaculture production in an ecological and sustainable way.
The six countries, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam are taking the lead to pilot plans to upgrade aquaculture in order to help meet the food security needs of a growing global population – expected to top nine billion people by 2050.
“The work of these six countries in this regional initiative, and their outcomes, will be pivotal in finding ways to increase food production sustainably – something we must do in the course of the next generation – if we are to meet the needs and expectations of a seafood-hungry planet,” said Hiroyuki Konuma, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative.
Also in the news, Chile has reported another suspected outbreak of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) virus in the Aysen region.
A previous ISA outbreak was reported in Aysen at the beginning of March.
