Global production reached a record 223.2 million metric tons in 2022, 4.4 percent more than in 2020
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations released its biennial report, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024, on June 8, 2024, in San Jose, Costa Rica. This edition highlights a significant milestone: in 2022, aquaculture production surpassed capture fisheries for the first time.
Key findings include:
- Total fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 223.2 million metric tons in 2022, with Asia producing 70% of all aquatic animals.
- World aquaculture production hit a new high of 130.9 million metric tons, valued at $313 billion.
- China led both aquaculture and capture fisheries production, followed by other major producers like Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.
The report emphasizes the importance of sustainable practices in meeting the increasing demand for aquatic foods, effective fisheries management, and upgrading aquatic food value chains. It features the “Blue Transformation in Action” roadmap, adopted in 2022, which guides global policies and best practices for sustainable aquaculture, fisheries management, and value chain improvements.
Eight key messages from the report stress the need for scaling successful initiatives, prioritizing sustainability, addressing fishery resource conservation, increasing production to meet global demand, and supporting small-scale fisheries. The FAO calls for strengthened data collection, accelerated efforts to meet Sustainable Development Goals, and addressing challenges like climate change, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.
FAO Director General Qu Dongyu highlighted the sector’s achievements and ongoing challenges, urging for intensified efforts to ensure sustainable management of fishery stocks, combat illegal fishing, and adopt an ecosystem approach to minimize environmental impacts and secure food safety and livelihoods.