Global fish consumption is on the rise as people increasingly look for healthy and nutritious food while about a third of world fish stocks need to be rebuilt and irregular fishing reined in, the United Nations said on Monday.
Fish consumption rose to a record 17.2 kg per person per year in 2009 and would rise further as more people recognised the benefits of seafood, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a report.
A portion of 150 grams of fish provides 50-60 percent of the daily protein requirements for an adult and fish is also a source of various vitamins and minerals, the FAO said in the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report.
Globally, fish provides more than 1.5 billion people with almost 20 percent of their average intake of animal protein.
China, the world's biggest fish producer, accounted for most of the global rise in per capita consumption due to a substantial increase in its fish production, mainly from the growth of aquaculture, the report said.
Fish products are among the most-traded food commodities, with a record $102 billion turnover in 2008, the report said.
DWINDLING RESOURCES
Fish farmers are optimistic that far more fish can be produced, but a rise in excessive fishing and a fall in stocks which can expand production have raised concerns, the FAO said.
"That there has been no improvement in the status of stocks is a matter of great concern," Richard Grainger, senior FAO fisheries expert and one of the report editors, said.
"The percentage of overexploitation needs to go down although at least we seem to be reaching a plateau," he said.
In 2008, some 32 percent of the stock groups monitored by FAO were estimated to be either overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion after excessive fishing and needed urgent rebuilding to return to maximum production levels.
Only 15 percent of stocks were estimated as underexploited or moderately exploited, meaning they could produce more than their current catches. This was the lowest percentage recorded since the mid-1970s, the FAO said.
Some 53 percent of the stocks were estimated to be fully exploited with their current catches at or close to maximum sustainable productions and with no room for further expansion.
Most of the stocks of the top 10 species, which account in total for about 30 percent of the world marine capture fisheries production in terms of quantity, are fully exploited and, therefore, have no potential for increased production, FAO said.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing deals a heavy blow to dwindling resources, FAO said and called on governments and international bodies to create global vessels database, increase at-sea inspections and improve certification schemes.
