Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 90

PART 1 WORLD REVIEW
and facilitated by advances in food transportation
technologies, has lengthened supply chains to the
point where a single product may be produced in
one country, processed in another and consumed in
yet another. This development has allowed
consumers access to species of fish that are caught
or farmed in regions far from their point of
purchase and has introduced new products and
tastes to what were previously only local or regional
markets. Although the choices available to an
individual consumer have multiplied, at the global
level the choices are increasingly similar among
countries and regions. Seasonal variation in the
availability of individual species is also mitigated to
some extent by the international diversification of
supply sources and advances in preservation
technologies, but major supply shocks affecting key
species are now likely to affect consumption for a
greater number of people in more geographically
dispersed markets. Consumers’ awareness of the
non-local origin of much of the fish they can buy is
driving demand for traceability systems and
certification schemes intended to guarantee the
sustainability and quality of a growing array of fish
and fish products.
has potential for more efficient supply chains in
conveying fish from the producer to the consumer
and is generally able to address consumer
concerns related to sustainabilit y and product
origin more easily than capture fisher y
producers. The significant aquaculture
production of some low-value freshwater species
(also through integrated farming) destined
mainly for domestic consumption is important for
food securit y.
The expansion of aquaculture production,
especially for species such as shrimps, salmon,
bivalves, tilapia, carp and catfish (including
Pangasius spp.), is evident in the relative growth
rates of per capita consumption of different
species groups in recent years. Since 2000,
average annual growth rates have been most
significant for freshwater fish (3.1 percent),
molluscs, excluding cephalopods (2.9 percent)
and crustaceans (2.8 percent). In 2015, global per
capita consumption of freshwater fish was 7.8 kg,
or 38 percent of the total, as compared with 17
percent in 1961.
Aquaculture is also the main source of edible
aquatic plants, accounting for 96 percent of
production in 2016. At present, seaweeds and
other algae are not included in the FAO Food
Balance Sheets for fish and fish products.
However, they are important in several cultures,
particularly in East Asia, where they are popular
for use in soups, and the red seaweed nori
(Pyropia and Porphyra species) is used to wrap
sushi. The most widely cultivated species include
Japanese kelp (Laminaria japonica), Eucheuma
seaweeds, elkhorn sea moss (Kappaphycus
alvarezii) and wakame (Undaria pinnatifida). The
nutritional contribution of seaweeds consists
mainly of micronutrient minerals (e.g. iron,
calcium, iodine, potassium, selenium) and
vitamins, particularly A, C and B-12. Seaweed is
also one of the only non-fish sources of natural
omega-3 long-chain fatt y acids.
Urbanization has also shaped the nature and
extent of fish consumption in many countries.
While the global rural population is currently
near its peak, since 2007 the urban population
has accounted for more than half of the world’s
people, and it continues to grow. It is projected
that in 2050, the urban population will have
increased by more than two-thirds and will make
up 66 percent of the global population (UN,
2015d). Nearly 90 percent of this increase will
take place in Africa and Asia. Urban inhabitants
t y pically have more disposable income to spend
on animal proteins such as fish and eat away
from home more often. In addition, the physical
infrastructure and increased population densit y
that are characteristic of urban areas allow for
more efficient storage, distribution and marketing
of fish and fish products. Hy permarkets and
supermarkets are becoming more numerous,
particularly throughout Latin America and Asia,
and fish products are increasingly sold through
these channels in lieu of traditional fishmongers
and fish markets. At the same time, the ease and
speed of food preparation represents an
increasingly important consideration for urban
dwellers with fast-paced lifest yles and increased
The broad economic trends that have driven growth
in global fish consumption in recent decades have
been paralleled by many fundamental changes in
the ways consumers choose, purchase, prepare and
consume fish products. The globalization of fish
and fish products, propelled by increasing emphasis
on trade liberalization in many parts of the world
| 74 |