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The World’s oceans provide one of the largest (not domesticat-
ed) food reserves on the planet. Overall, seafood provided more
than 2.6 billion people with at least 20 per cent of their average
per capita animal protein intake (FAO, 2006). Capture fisher-
ies and aquaculture supplied the world with about 106 million
tonnes of food fish in 2004, providing an apparent per capita
supply of 16.6 kg (live weight equivalent), which is the highest
on record (FAO, 2006). Capture fishery production has, how-
ever, remained static, and it is only the rise in aquaculture, now
accounting for 43% of the total consumption, that enabled this
increase (FAO, 2006). Worldwide, aquaculture has grown at an
average rate of 8.8 per cent per year since 1970, compared with
only 1.2 per cent for capture fisheries in the same period. De-
spite fishing capacity now exceeding current harvest four-fold,
marine capture has declined or remained level since 2000,
reflecting over-harvest in many regions (Hilborn
et al
., 2003;
FAO, 2006). A major reason why the decline has not become
more evident is likely because of advances in fishing efficiency,
shift to previously discarded or avoided fish, and the fact that
the fishing fleet is increasingly fishing in deeper waters.
The overall decrease in landings is mostly related to declines
in fishing zones in the Southeast and Northwest Pacific oceans
(FAO, 2006). In addition, the living resources in the World’s
oceans, including those so essential to mankind, are not ran-
domly or evenly distributed. They are largely concentrated in
small regions/areas and hotspots, of which continental shelves
and seamounts – under-water mountains – play a crucial role.
The safety of the World’s oceans as a food source for future gen-
erations is however insecure. Over the last decades, there has
been continuing exploitation and depletion of fisheries stocks.
Undeveloped fish reserves have disappeared altogether since
the mid-1980s. During the last decades, there has been a con-
tinued decline in fish resources in the ‘developing’ phase, and
an increase of those in the depleted or over-exploited phase.
This trend is somewhat offset by the emergence of resources
in the ‘recovering’ phase (Mullon
et al
., 2005; FAO, 2006; Das-
kalov
et al
., 2007). There is little evidence of rapid recovery in
THE SEA – ONE OF THE LARGEST
FOODFACTORIESONTHEPLANET
World fisheries and
aquaculture production
(million tonnes)
0
40
80
120
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Aquaculture
Fisheries
Aquaculture
Marine
Inland
Fisheries
Figure 1. The World’s marine fisheries have stagnated or slightly
declined in the last decad
e
, offset only by increases in aquacul-
ture production
(Source FAO, 2006).