Shellfish

Why Aquaculture?

Global seafood production is going through significant change, presenting both challenges and opportunities for seafood producing nations. Global capture fisheries production reached 95 million tonnes in 2004, with an estimated first-sale value of US$84.9 billion. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that approximately half of global fisheries stocks are at, or close to maximum sustainable limits, and approximately one-quarter of global stocks are either overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion, confirming earlier observations that the maximum wild capture fishery potential from the world’s oceans has probably been reached .

Globally 1/6 of the world’s population (more than one billion) relies on fish products as their primary source of protein. As standards of living and global population increases, demand for seafood will continue to rise. World population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 and any increases in seafood consumption are expected to come from aquaculture. Without aquaculture, a shortfall of 50-80 million metric tonnes of seafood is anticipated.

From a production of below 1 million tonnes in the early 1950s, aquaculture production in 2004 was reported to be 45.5 million tonnes with a value of $63.3 billion USD or, if aquatic plants are included, 59.4 million tonnes with a value of $70.3 billion USD. Aquaculture currently accounts for nearly half (i.e. 45%) of the world’s food fish and this is expected to reach 50% by 2015. Globally, aquaculture continues to grow more rapidly than all other animal food-producing sectors, with an average annual growth rate for the world of 8.8 percent per year since 1970, compared with only 1.2 percent for capture fisheries and 2.8 percent for terrestrial farmed meat production systems.

In Canada, farmed salmon dominates aquaculture production, however globally, molluscan shellfish (i.e. clams, oysters, mussels, scallops etc.) exceed the production of salmonids. In 2004, 13.2 million metric tonnes of molluscs were produced worldwide and valued at $9.8 billion USD, while in comparison, approximately 2.8 million metric tonnes of diadromous fish, including salmon and trout, were produced, valued at $8.3 billion USD