U.N.: Farmed fish near majority

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A new U.N. report says nearly 50 percent of fish consumed globally now come from farms instead of being caught in the wild.

The report was presented Tuesday to delegates at a meeting in New Delhi on aquaculture sponsored by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

"The State of World Aquaculture 2006" shows a 25 percent rise in the consumption of farm-raised fish since the mid-1980s.

Despite the 45.5 million tons of farmed fish and 60 million tons of freshwater fish consumed worldwide, there still is a growing demand for fish, especially in well developed nations. The FAO said 33 million tons of fish were imported in 2004, or $61 billion worth, to cater to the demand.

Since the mid-1980s, there has not been any significant change in the amount of fish caught in the sea. However, the FAO estimates 52 percent of 600 species found in the sea are fully exploited, 25 percent are either depleted or recovering from depletion, 20 percent are moderately exploited and 3 percent are underexploited.

"Catches in the wild are still high, but they have leveled off, probably for good," said Rohana Subasinghe of FAO's Fisheries

Department and secretary of the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture.

Assuming the demand for fish stabilizes at the current demand, an additional 40 million tons of fish would be needed by 2030 to meet worldwide needs, the report said. It said farm-raised fish, compared to fish caught in the wild, offer the only means of satisfying growing demand.

"Aquaculture is crucial to the fight against global hunger," said Ichiro Nomura, FAO assistant director-general for fisheries. "We must ensure that the sector continues to expand, sustainably, to provide more people with food and income, especially in areas like sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, where hunger and poverty prevail."