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16

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).