🐟 Fishing series: From the fishing rod to ultra-productive fish farms: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 17:42, 18 February 2020
As average consumers, we are well aware that fishing does not limit itself to benevolent fisherwomen/men equipped with fishing rods. We know that fishing is more than often carried out by large ships equipped with gigantic nets which allow fish to be scooped out of the water by the ton. However, it is interesting to notice that the reality of the fishing industry is far form being widely known and that fishing does not necessarily mean “catching fish”.
This article aims to decribe the current state of world fishing.
The fishing industry is divided in 2 categories:
🎣 CAPTURE FISHERY: 53% of the industry
🚜 AQUACULTURE, also known as “fish farms”: 47% of the industry
When comparing these 2 percentages, it is quite astonishing to notice that the act of “catching fish”, aka “capture fishery” actually only represents half of the industry. The other half is organized around “fish farms”, a technic known as Aquaculture.
Let us also note that the value of capture fishery is said[1] to have reached $130 billion in 2016, while aquaculture was estimated at $232 billion. This proves how profitable this quite “unknown” practice is and explains why it is considered to be the fastest growing sector of the food industry (around 6% growth per year).[2]
So what is Aquaculture and “fish farming”?
Aquaculture, as its name entails, involves the cultivation of fish (such as carp, salmon, trout, etc…), crustaceans (such as shrimps or crabs), mollusks (such as oysters or mussels) and aquatics plants in a constrained environment.
The cultivation of these species is pursued either in a natural settings such as seas or lakes for instance, or in human-built pools which can either be dug in the ground or built and set on land.
Production of the aquaculture sector[1]
- Farmed fish*: 80.0 million tonnes (73%)
- Aquatic plants**: 30.1 million tonnes (27%)
*Including, fish, crustaceans and mollusks
**Various types of algue and seaweeds widely used in cosmetics or as textural agent in processed foods, etc.
Production of farmed fish[1]
- 🐟 Fish: 54.1 million tons (69%)
- 🍤 Mollusks: 17.1 million tons (22%)
- 🐚 Crustaceans: 7.9 million tons (10%)
Most farmed species[3]
🐟 Fish
- Carp (36% of the market)
- Tilapia
- Salmon
- Trout
🐚 Crustaceans
- Shrimp (53% of the market)
- Crawfish
- Crab
🍤 Molluscs
- Oysters (28% of the market)
- Clams[4] (25% of the market)
- Scallops
- Mussels
Production
One reason to explain the lack of awareness in the western world towards the use of Aquaculture in the world is the fact that Asia represents nearly 90%[5] of the industry, with China alone producing 61.5%. Other large producers include: India (7%), Indonesia (6%), Viet Nam (4.5%), Egypt (1.7%) and Norway (1.7%).
So what is Capture fishery?
Production of the capture fishery sector[1]
- Total production: 90.9 million tonnes
Most caught fish 🐟 species
- Alaska pollock [6]
- Anchovetas[7]
- Skipjack tuna[8]
- Sardines
- Mackerel
- Hering
- Yellowfin tuna[9]
- Atlantic cod[10]
To note: In comparaison to the Aquaculture sector, the diversity of species resulting from Capture fishing is much larger. The first reason being that eventhough specific marine areas can concentrate a large percentage of a particular species, a fishing boat will, however, hardly be able select exactly which species will end up in its net. This explains why fishing stalls offer a much larger variety of species than that of the butcher's. The second being that the choice of species farmed in Aquaculture depends on offer and demand, whereas capture Fishery relies only of geography.
Regulations to prevent over-fishing as well as ecological variations however also constantly redefine the landscape of capture Fishery. The production of Anchovetas[7] in Peru, for instance, was 3 times more developed than any other species before 2014. Due to the impact of Hurricane El Niño as well as strong regulations, the production was divided by 3 in 3 years, putting Anchovetas on the second step of the podium in 2016.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Numbers given by the FAO in its 2018 report (numbers are often referring to 2016). Click here for report
- ↑ In the 90%, the aquaculture sector was growing at a double digit rate, ≈10% per year
- ↑ Chosen between well-known species
- ↑ Japanese carpet shells
- ↑ Estimated at 89.4% in 2016
- ↑ “Pollock” is a white fish mainly used in processed food and the fast-food industry. It is famously used to produceMcDonald’s filet o-fish but it can also be found in any premium or low quality processed fish sticks, or imitation crab meat “surimi”. Imitation crab makes use of the lesser-parts of the fish or bad quality pollock.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 “Anchoveta” (or Peruvian anchovy) is considered the most abundant fish species in the world and the most heavily exploited fish in world history. For a large part, Anchoveta is used to produced “fishmeal”, a fish-based feed unfit for human consumption. It is mainly produced to feed farm animals (land farming and fish farming combined).
- ↑ Also called pink tuna, very present in Asia
- ↑ The famous red tuna that we can easilly find in our fish shops
- ↑ Famously salted and central fish of Portuguese cuisine