The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture - 2008

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture - 2008

Publisher: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department

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Description (from the Foreword):

After growing steadily, particularly in the last four decades, aquaculture is for the first time set to contribute half of the fish consumed by the human population worldwide. This reflects not only the vitality of the aquaculture sector but also global economic growth and continuing developments in fish processing and trade.

Until a year or so ago, the production trends in aquaculture and capture fisheries were continuing without any drastic modification to those already in place at the start of this decade. The capture fisheries sector was regularly producing between 90 and 95 million tonnes per year, and aquaculture production was growing rapidly, albeit at a gradually declining rate.(...)

This issue of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture features some of the aspects of fisheries and aquaculture that may receive increasing attention. Among these aspects are climate change, the use of marine genetic resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and the proliferation of private standards and certification schemes in the international fish trade. This issue also highlights a few of FAO’s special studies. These include the use of wild-fishery resources as seed and feed in aquaculture, and reviews of the world’s shrimp fisheries and of the management of marine capture fisheries in the Pacific Ocean.