A 20-year retrospective review of global aquaculture

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 591; no. 7851; pp. 551 - 563
• Main Authors: Naylor, Rosamond L., Hardy, Ronald W., Buschmann, Alejandro H., Bush, Simon R., Cao, Ling, Klinger, Dane H., Little, David C., Lubchenco, Jane, Shumway, Sandra E., Troell, Max
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25-03-2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/172; 704/172/4081; Algae; Animal Feed; Animals; Animals, Wild; Aquaculture; Aquaculture - history; Aquaculture feeds; Aquaculture industry; Aquatic plants; Climate change; Climate effects; Crustaceans; Economic aspects; Ecosystem services; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Fish; Fish nutrition; Fish-culture; Fisheries; Fishes; Food; Food security; Food supply; Food Supply - history; Forecasts and trends; Fresh Water; Growth; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Ingredients; International aspects; Internationality; Mollusca; Mollusks; multidisciplinary; Nutrition; Oceans and Seas; Parasites; Pests; Production data; Review Article; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seaweeds; Shellfish; Sustainability; Sustainable agriculture; Sustainable aquaculture; Sustainable Development - history; United States; Asia; Norway; China
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03308-6

The sustainability of aquaculture has been debated intensely since 2000, when a review on the net contribution of aquaculture to world fish supplies was published in
Nature
. This paper reviews the developments in global aquaculture from 1997 to 2017, incorporating all industry sub-sectors and highlighting the integration of aquaculture in the global food system. Inland aquaculture—especially in Asia—has contributed the most to global production volumes and food security. Major gains have also occurred in aquaculture feed efficiency and fish nutrition, lowering the fish-in–fish-out ratio for all fed species, although the dependence on marine ingredients persists and reliance on terrestrial ingredients has increased. The culture of both molluscs and seaweed is increasingly recognized for its ecosystem services; however, the quantification, valuation, and market development of these services remain rare. The potential for molluscs and seaweed to support global nutritional security is underexploited. Management of pathogens, parasites, and pests remains a sustainability challenge industry-wide, and the effects of climate change on aquaculture remain uncertain and difficult to validate. Pressure on the aquaculture industry to embrace comprehensive sustainability measures during this 20-year period have improved the governance, technology, siting, and management in many cases.
The volume of global aquaculture production has tripled since 2000 with positive trends in environmental performance, but the sector faces mounting challenges including pathogen management, pollution, climate change, and increasing dependence on land-based resource systems.