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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #338459
Research Project: Water Quality and Production Systems to Enhance Production of Catfish

Location: Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit

Title: The future of aquaculture

Author
item HARGREAVES, JOHN - Consultant
item BRUMMETT, RANDALL - World Bank
item Tucker, Craig

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2017
Publication Date: 1/9/2019
Citation: Hargreaves, J., Brummett, R., Tucker, C.S. 2019. The future of aquaculture. In: Lucas, J.S., Southgate, P.C., Tucker, C.S., editors. Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Animals and Plants. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, West Sussex.Book Chapter. P. 617-636.

Interpretive Summary: Fish is now the largest source of animal protein in the world, with fish farming contributing more than half the world’s seafood supply. The world needs to produce significantly more fish in the future to meet the demands of a growing and increasingly affluent global population. Capture fisheries are fully exploited and future fish supplies will be dominated by farming. However, fish farming will not be able to grow in the same way as it has in the past. New limitations and restrictions are emerging to constrain growth. Foremost among these are looming resource limitations, exacerbated by global climate change. The challenge is to increase production as a means to improve human health and contribute to food security while simultaneously minimizing environmental damage. This textbook chapter describes the challenges that must be addressed and how fish farming must change to adapt to meet the demand for fish in the future.

Technical Abstract: Fish is now the largest source of animal protein in the world, with aquaculture contributing more than half the world’s seafood supply. The world needs to produce significantly more fish in the future to meet the demands of a growing and increasingly affluent global population. Capture fisheries are fully exploited and future fish supplies will be dominated by aquaculture. However, aquaculture will not be able to grow in the same way as it has in the past. New limitations, restrictions and boundaries are emerging to constrain growth. Foremost among these are looming resource limitations, exacerbated by global climate change. The challenge is to increase production as a means to improve human health and contribute to food security while simultaneously minimizing environmental damage. This textbook chapter describes the challenges that must be addressed and how aquaculture must change to adapt and work within the limitations set by these new constraints to meet the demand for fish in the future.