5 June 2014: Farmed fish and shellfish production will need to increase by 133% between 2010 and 2050 to meet projected fish demand globally, according to a study by the World Resources Institute (WRI), WorldFish, the World Bank and Kasetsart University. The study findings are presented in a report, titled ‘Improving Productivity and Environmental Performance of Aquaculture,’ which the organizations launched in a webinar on the occasion of World Environment Day.

“The world’s oceans and inland waters are largely fished to their limit and the supply of wild-caught fish peaked in the 1990s,” explained Richard Waite, WRI and lead author of the report. At the same time, world fish consumption continues to grow.

The study analyzes how large aquaculture’s resource demands and environmental impacts will be in 2050, using a life cycle assessment and seven alternative scenarios, ranging from business as usual to best practices. The authors found that aquaculture’s environmental impacts varied depending on the species farmed, with catfish and shrimp having high greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity and salmon and shrimp using the largest amounts of wild fish-based feed per unit of farmed fish. Bivalve mollusks were the only species that performed well across all categories.

Producers can take a variety of actions to minimize aquaculture’s environmental impacts and encourage the aquaculture industry’s sustainable growth, according to the study. It proposes five approaches for sustainable aquaculture production, including shifting fish consumption towards low-trophic species and shifting incentives to reward sustainability. It recommends investments in: technology innovation and transfer, particularly in low-impact production systems; breeding and hatchery technology and disease control; and the leverage of information technology to support global-level planning and monitoring systems, including through ecological modeling and satellite and mapping technology. The paper also advocates spatial planning and zoning to ensure aquaculture production is within the ecosystem’s carrying capacity and to reduce the cumulative impacts of farms.

The report includes sections on: the growth of aquaculture production to 2050 and socio-economic benefits; sustainability challenges; scenarios; recommendations; and a call to action. It includes case studies on carp production in China; bivalve mollusks in the US; shrimps in Thailand; catfish in Viet Nam; tilapias and catfish in Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe; salmonids in Norway; and integrated systems in China and Canada.

The paper is the fifth in a series, ‘Creating a Sustainable Food Future.’ The series explores the role of aquaculture in meeting global fish demand by 2050 in a way that reduces pressure on the environment while advancing economic development. [WorldFish Press Release] [Publication: Improving Productivity and Environmental Performance of Aquaculture]