Fisheries and Aquaculture Basics

What percentage of global aquatic animal production is used for human consumption?

What is the average annual growth rate of global consumption of aquatic foods since 1961?

What is the per capita consumption of aquatic foods in 2022?

What percentage of global aquatic animal production comes from aquaculture?

Which region accounts for two-thirds of global inland production?

What percentage of global inland catches is accounted for by Africa?

What percentage of total global capture production is accounted for by the top 20 producers?

What percentage of global aquatic animal production is used for food?

What percentage of the world's population depends on fisheries for their livelihoods?

What is the recommended minimum number of servings of fish per week for heart health benefits?

What percentage of the global capture fisheries production comes from inland waters?

Which country was the top inland fisheries producer in 2022?

What is the largest single importing market for aquatic animal products?

What is the percentage of total fisheries and aquaculture production that comes from aquaculture?

What is the main difference between fisheries and aquaculture?

What is the total global fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022?

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries involve catching, processing, and selling fish and shellfish, while aquaculture involves the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants.
Aquaculture can be done in fresh water and marine environments, and involves the natural or controlled cultivation of shellfish, fish, and seaweed.

Types of Fisheries

There are two main types of fisheries: inland fisheries and marine fisheries.

Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Production

In 2022, total fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 182 million tonnes.
Global capture fisheries production (excluding algae) was 90.88 million tonnes (49%) in 2022, with 79.82 million tonnes from marine waters and 11.36 million tonnes from inland waters.
Aquaculture production accounted for 91.12 million tonnes (51%) in 2022.

Regional Production

Asia produced almost two-thirds of total inland fisheries, followed by Africa.
India was the top inland fisheries producer in 2022, overtaking China.
China is the world's largest exporter of aquatic animal products, followed by Norway and Viet Nam.

Global Consumption

Over 157 million tonnes (89%) of aquatic animals were used for human consumption.
Global consumption of aquatic foods (excluding algae) has increased at an average annual rate of 3.0% since 1961.
The average per capita consumption of aquatic foods is 20.2 kg, more than double the average of 9.9 kg in the 1960s.

Aquaculture Production

Production of aquatic animals from aquaculture in 2022 amounted to 91.12 million tonnes (46.8% of total production).
This includes 54.1 million tonnes of fin fish, 17.1 million tonnes of molluscs, 7.9 million tonnes of crustaceans, and 9,38,500 tonnes of other aquatic animals.

Top Producers

The top seven capture producers (China, Indonesia, Peru, India, the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and Viet Nam) accounted for almost 50% of total global capture production.
The top 20 producers accounted for almost 74% of total global capture production.

Learn about the differences between fisheries and aquaculture, including their definitions and types. Discover how fisheries involve harvesting fish and aquaculture involves cultivating aquatic animals and plants.