Notes on the climate: Will we still have fish on our plates in future?

In 2007 worldwide fish production stood at 160 million tons. That is eight times as much as in 1950. Up to 2030 annual production will have to increase by an additional 40 million tons if per-capita consumption is to remain the same despite the increasing world population. In order to retain the present per-capita consumption at fishing products, the annual fishing production would have to increase to 2030 around 40 million tons. Such an expansion of production is hardly achievable by means of conventional fishing. Faced with this development, aquaculture is increasingly gaining importance. More than a third of the worldwide fish production is already being cultivated under such controlled conditions. With an annual growth rate of seven percent, aquaculture is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors.