According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global production in fisheries and aquaculture in 2018 amounted to 178.5 million tons, indicating that today more than ever people rely on fish and other types of marine animals as a source of income and food.
Growing global demand is in conflict with fishing limitations due to overfishing.
As a result, the role of aquaculture or fish farming has significantly increased over the past 18 years, while the growth of global fisheries has been quite modest. In 2018, 46 percent of fish and other marine animals consumed worldwide were farmed, with the most popular farmed species being carp, salmon, catfish, shellfish, and shrimp.
Fisheries were responsible for large stocks of anchovies, tuna, herring, and cod. China is the largest fishing nation in the world, accounting for 15 percent of the wild fish catch and other marine species, followed by Indonesia and Peru, each with 8 percent.
More than half of the world’s wild fish is landed in Asia, as well as 66 percent of marine species caught in lakes and rivers. Asia also drives the growth of aquaculture – the continent produced nearly 90 percent of farmed marine animals in 2018.
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