FAO report: Global seafood reaches record high, led by aquaculture boom

Source: 123RF

The 2024 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) revealed global fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022 surged to 223.2 million tonnes, a 4.4% increase from the year 2020. Production comprised 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tonnes of algae.

"FAO welcomes the significant achievements thus far, but further transformative and adaptive actions are needed to strengthen the efficiency, inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability of aquatic food systems and consolidate their role in addressing food insecurity, poverty alleviation and sustainable governance," says FAO director-general QU Dongyu.

"That’s why FAO advocates Blue Transformation, to meet the overall requirements of better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind."

Aquaculture produces record amount

In 2022, for the first time, aquaculture surpassed capture fisheries as the leading source of aquatic animal production. Global aquaculture output reached 130.9 million tonnes, with 94.4 million tonnes being aquatic animals, constituting 51% of the total production.

This growth in aquaculture highlights its potential to meet the rising global demand for aquatic foods. However, future expansion must prioritize sustainability and support regions and communities in need.

Currently, a few countries dominate aquaculture, with China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Egypt, and Chile producing over 89.8% of the total. Many low-income countries in Africa and Asia are not fully utilizing their potential. Targeted policies, technology transfer, capacity building, and responsible investment are essential for boosting sustainable aquaculture in these regions, especially in Africa.

Global consumption of aquatic foods rises again

Record production of aquatic foods underscores the sector's potential to address food insecurity and malnutrition. In 2021, global apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods reached 162.5 million tonnes, growing at nearly twice the rate of the world population since 1961. Global per capita annual consumption increased from 9.1 kg in 1961 to 20.7 kg in 2022.

Of the total aquatic animal production, 89% was used for direct human consumption, highlighting the crucial role of fisheries and aquaculture in global food security. The remainder was used for indirect or non-food purposes, mainly fishmeal and fish oil production.

Promoting further consumption from sustainable sources is vital for fostering healthy diets and improving global nutrition. Aquatic foods offer high-quality proteins—15% of animal proteins and 6% of total proteins worldwide—and essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. In 2021, they contributed at least 20% of the per capita protein supply from all animal sources to 3.2 billion people.

Most capture fisheries production comes from sustainable stocks

Global capture fisheries production has remained stable since the late 1980s. In 2022, the sector produced 92.3 million tonnes, with 11.3 million tonnes from inland and 81 million tonnes from marine capture. Despite the growth in aquaculture, capture fisheries continue to be a vital source of aquatic animal production.

However, the proportion of marine stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels decreased to 62.3% in 2021, down 2.3% from 2019. When weighted by production level, an estimated 76.9% of the 2021 landings from stocks monitored by FAO were from biologically sustainable stocks. This emphasizes the importance of effective fisheries management in facilitating stock recovery and increasing catches, highlighting the urgent need to replicate successful policies to reverse the current declining trend.

FAO projects rise in production and consumption

The SOFIA report also includes FAO’s outlook for fisheries and aquaculture, projecting increases in global production and apparent consumption through 2032.

Aquatic animal production is expected to increase by 10% by 2032, reaching 205 million tonnes. This rise will be driven by aquaculture expansion and capture fisheries recovery.

SOFIA projects that apparent consumption will increase by 12%, averaging 21.3 kg per capita by 2032. Rising incomes, urbanization, improvements in post-harvest practices and distribution, and dietary trends are expected to drive most of this increase.

However, per capita apparent consumption in Africa is expected to continue decreasing, as production projections may not keep pace with population growth. This is particularly concerning for sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries rely on aquatic foods to meet their nutritional needs, especially for animal proteins and micronutrients.

The report also outlines the potential implications of population dynamics on the supply of aquatic animal food through 2050. To maintain the 2022 per capita consumption level of 20.7 kg by 2050, a total increase of 36 million tonnes in aquatic animal food supply would be required, a rise of 22%. This highlights the need to accelerate Blue Transformation priority actions in a world where aquatic foods play a more significant role in ending hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

Falling employment but vital livelihoods for millions

Beyond nutrition and food security, fisheries and aquaculture are crucial sources of livelihood. An estimated 61.8 million people were employed in the primary sector of fisheries and aquaculture in 2022, down from 62.8 million in 2020.

Sex-disaggregated data shows that women made up 24% of the overall workforce but 62% in the processing subsector. Gender inequality issues persist, including wage disparities, insufficient recognition of women’s contributions, and gender-based violence.

SOFIA is an FAO flagship report that analyses the status and health of global fishery stocks and trends in fisheries and aquaculture at global and regional levels. The 2024 edition spotlights the concrete advances of Blue Transformation in action, showcasing FAO’s role, in collaboration with members and partners, in driving sustainable aquaculture expansion and intensification, effective fisheries management, and value chains that prioritize efficiency, safety, and equity.

SOFIA 2024 in numbers

All figures are from 2022 unless otherwise specified:

Production

• Global fisheries and aquaculture production: 223.2 million tonnes
• Aquatic animals: 185.4 million tonnes
• Algae: 37.8 million tonnes
• Global aquaculture production: 130.9 million tonnes
• Global capture fisheries: 92.3 million tonnes
• Aquatic animal production by region: Asia (70%), Europe (9%), Latin America and the Caribbean (9%), Africa (7%), Northern America (3%), and Oceania (1%)
• Main producers of aquatic animals by country: China (36%), India (8%), Indonesia (7%), Viet Nam (5%), and Peru (3%)
• Estimated total first sale value of fisheries and aquaculture production: $472bn
• Estimated total first sale value of aquaculture production: $313bn

Sustainability

• Proportion of sustainably fished marine stocks monitored by FAO (2021): 62.3%
• Proportion of sustainably fished marine stocks level monitored by FAO weighted by production (2021): 78.9%

Consumption

• Global apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods (2021): 162.5 million tonnes
• Global apparent consumption of aquatic foods per capita (2021): 20.6 kg
• Increase in global apparent consumption of aquatic foods per capita: from 9.1 kg in 1961 to 20.6 kg in 2021

Employment

• People employed in primary production: 61.8 million
• Workers by sector: fisheries (54%), aquaculture (36%), sector not specified (10%)
• Percentage of jobs by region: Asia (85%), Africa (10%), Latin America and the Caribbean (4%), Europe, Oceania, and Northern America combined (1%)

Trade

• Top exporters of aquatic animal products: China, Norway, Viet Nam, Ecuador, Chile
• Top importers of aquatic animal products: The United States, China, Japan, Spain, France
• Value of international trade of aquatic products: $195bn