Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 68

PART 1 WORLD REVIEW
habitat. Seaweeds are industrially processed to
extract thickening agents such as alginate, agar
and carrageenan or used, generally in dried
powder form, as an animal feed additive.
Increasing attention is also focusing on the
nutritional value of several seaweed species,
because of their high content of vitamins,
minerals and plant-based protein. Many
seaweed-f lavoured foods (including ice creams)
and drinks are being launched. Their main
market is in Asia and the Pacific, but interest is
growing in Europe and North America. Several
cosmetics have been commercialized from the
seaweed Saccharina latissima, and other products
have been developed from marine macroalgae
(Marine Biotech, 2015). Research is also exploring
the use of seaweed as a salt substitute and in the
industrial preparation of biofuel. n
used for leather include shark, salmon, ling, cod,
hagfish, tilapia, Nile perch, carp and seabass.
Shark teeth are used in handicrafts.
As the production and processing of crustaceans
and bivalves have increased, efficient use of their
shells has become important, not only to
maximize financial return, but also to address
waste disposal problems because of their slow
natural degradation rate. Chitosan, produced
from shrimp and crab shells, has shown a wide
range of applications, for example in water
treatments, cosmetics and toiletries, food and
beverages, agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Crustacean wastes also yield pigments
(carotenoids and astaxanthin) for use in the
pharmaceutical industr y. Mussel shells provide
calcium carbonate for industrial use. In some
countries, oyster shells are used as a raw
material in building construction and in the
production of quicklime (calcium oxide). Shells
can also be processed into pearl powder, used in
medicines and cosmetics, and shell powder, a
rich source of calcium in diet supplements for
livestock and poultr y. Scallop and mussel shells
are used in handicrafts and jeweller y, and for
making buttons.
FISH TRADE AND
COMMODITIES
Trade of fish and fish products plays an essential
role in boosting fish consumption and achieving
global food securit y by connecting producers
with distant markets for which local supply may
otherwise be insufficient. It also provides
employment and generates income for millions of
people working in a range of industries and
activities around the world, particularly in
developing countries. Exports of fish and fish
products are essential to the economies of many
countries and numerous coastal, riverine, insular
and lacustrine regions. For example, they exceed
40 percent of the total value of merchandise trade
in Cabo Verde, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland,
Maldives, Seychelles and Vanuatu. Globally, trade
in fish and fish products currently represents
above 9 percent of total agricultural exports
(excluding forest products) and 1 percent of world
merchandise trade in value terms. 6
Research has revealed a number of anticancer
agents in marine sponges, br yozoans and
cnidarians. However, for conser vation reasons,
these agents are not extracted directly from the
marine organisms but are chemically
synthesized. The culture of some sponge species
for this purpose is also being investigated. Some
marine toxins may have pharmacological
applications. Ziconotide, for example, found in
cone snails, is a powerful painkiller, and a
synthetic version of this molecule has been
commercialized (Marine Biotech, 2015).
Seaweeds and other algae are also used as food
(traditionally in China, Japan and the Republic of
Korea), in animal feed, fertilizers,
pharmaceuticals and cosmetics and for other
purposes. In medicine, for example, they are used
to treat iodine deficiency and as a vermifuge. In
2016, about 31 million tonnes of seaweeds and
other algae were har vested globally for direct
consumption or further processing. The
composition of seaweeds is highly variable,
depending on species, collection time and
Fish and fish products are some of the most
traded food items in the world today, and most of
6  Trade data quoted in this section refer to the available information
up to mid-March 2018. These figures could differ slightly from those in
the FAO fisheries commodities production and trade dataset 1976–
2016 and in the Commodities section of the FAO Yearbook of Fishery
and Aquaculture Statistics 2016, to be released in early summer 2018.
The updated data can be accessed through the tools indicated at:
www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/global-commodities-production
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