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Current projections for aquaculture suggest that

previous growth is unlikely to be sustained in

the future as a result of limits to the availabil-

ity of wild marine fish for aquaculture feed (FAO,

2008). Small pelagic fish make up 37% of the total

marine capture fisheries landings. Of this, 90% (or

27% of total landings) are processed into fishmeal and

fish oil with the remaining 10% used directly for ani-

mal feed (Alder

et al

., 2008).

In some regions, such as in parts of Africa and South-

east Asia, increase in fisheries and expansion of crop-

land area have been the primary factors in increasing

food supply. Indeed, fisheries are a major source of en-

ergy and protein for impoverished coastal populations,

in particular in West Africa and Southeast Asia (UNEP,

2008). Here, a decline in fisheries will have a major

impact on the livelihoods and wellbeing of hundreds of

millions of people (UNEP, 2008).

World fisheries and

aquaculture production

(million tonnes)

0

40

80

120

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000 2005

Aquaculture, marine

Aquaculture, inland

Capture fisheries, inland

Capture fisheries, marine

Mean depth of fish catches (m)

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2001

0

-50

-100

-150

-250

-300

-200

Figure 10: Fishing has expanded deeper and farther offshore in recent decades

(left panel)

. The decline in marine fisheries landings

has been partly compensated for by aquaculture

(right panel). (Source: FAO FISHSTAT, MA, 2005; UNEP, 2008).