Aquaculture will continue to depend more on land than sea

Summary

Aquaculture is a major producer of aquatic foods, contributes substantially to global food and nutrition security, and is likely to expand further in response to increasing demand from an increasingly populous and affluent world. Projections by Costello and colleagues suggest high growth potential for marine aquaculture (mariculture), alongside a relatively marginal increase in freshwater aquaculture.

We contend that these projections inflate the growth potential of mariculture and undervalue the present and future roles of freshwater aquaculture.

Balanced approaches to science, policy and investment that prioritize freshwater aquaculture development in addition to mariculture can contribute more to global food security than those favouring mariculture alone.

Information

Link to centre authors: Henriksson, Patrik, Troell, Max
Publication info: Zhang, W., Belton, B., Edwards, P. et al. 2022. Aquaculture will continue to depend more on land than sea. Nature 603, E2–E4 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04331-3

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