In the period 1990–1997, fish consumption increased by 31% while the supply from marine capture fisheries increased by only 9% ( FAO, 1999).
More recently, however, capture fisheries have not been able to keep pace with growing demand, and many marine fisheries have already been over-fished. Total landings from marine fisheries increased ∼5-fold in the 40-year period from 1950 to 1990 ( Mace, 1997). It is a particularly important protein source in regions where livestock is relatively scarce-fish supplies 80% of the world’s fish supply. It is man’s most important single source of high-quality protein, providing ∼16% of the animal protein consumed by the world’s population, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (1997). In fact, a thorough analysis shows that the ecological threat of aquaculture is much lower than continuing to supply the majority of fish protein from wild capture.įish is a vital source of food for people. Indeed, both capture fisheries and aquaculture must have environmental costs-all human activities of significant scale do-but it is necessary to fairly evaluate and compare the ecological and economic impact of both. But aquaculture has come under intense scrutiny and criticism as environmentalists fear that it could cause significant environmental problems and further impact wild species that are already threatened. At the same time as fishing has become more industrialised, and wild fish stocks increasingly depleted, aquaculture production-fish and shellfish farming-has grown rapidly to address the shortfalls in capture fisheries.
However, the demands of a growing population, particularly in poorer countries, now far outstrip the sustainable yield of the seas. Historically, the oceans were considered limitless and thought to harbour enough fish to feed an ever-increasing human population.
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