Expanding Sustainable Aquaculture

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, aquaculture provided 43% of the total food supply of fish in 2004. Analysis suggests that by 2020, almost half of all fish and other aquatic products in consumer markets worldwide will be farmed.

Many coastal fisheries are thought to be at or near their productive capacity. But aquaculture production overall has been increasing by 6.6% a year, and is expected to continue growing.

This dynamic growth can be tapped in ways that reduce poverty while increasing global food supply. Whether that happens, however, depends critically on where and how aquaculture is implemented.

WorldFish Center is at the forefront of the development of sustainable aquaculture technologies. The methods, particularly well adapted for use by small-scale producers in developing countries, are making it possible for a growing number of the world’s poorest people to better feed and support themselves.

Under the right conditions, this kind of aquaculture improves human well-being in a number of ways that support the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Direct benefits include greater food security, improved nutrition, supplemental income, and livelihood options. The approach can bring significant indirect benefits as well, by contributing to economic growth, easing pressure on increasingly scarce stocks of fish in the wild, improving health and empowering women.

Policy Working Paper: Dynamic Agribusiness-focused Aquaculture for Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth in Bangladesh (2006)

Public and Private Partnerships in Aquaculture: A case study on tilapia research and development (2006)

The NEPAD Action Plan for the Development of African Fisheries and Aquaculture (2006)

Carp Genetic Resources for Aquaculture in Asia (2005)

Aquaculture Extension Impacts in Bangladesh: A case study from Kapasia, Gazipur (2005)

WorldFish policy on the transfer of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) from Asia to Africa