U.N.: Aquaculture must grow to meet demand

ROME, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Aquaculture may be the only way to meet future demands for fish as the global population increases, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome said.

The addition of 2 billion people to the worldwide population by 2030 means fish farms will have to produce 85 million tons of fish per year just to keep up with demand, the FAO said in a news release. The organization said roughly 48 million tons -- or 40 percent -- of fish currently consumed worldwide are the product of fish farming, or aquaculture.

FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said the development of fish farming should be a priority and promoted in a responsible manner, said the news release issued from New York.

"A rapid development of aquaculture," he said, "requires better planning and better management of the sector in order to mitigate the adverse consequences on the environment."