Global fisheries and aquaculture production surged to 223.2 million tonnes, with 185.4 million tonnes of aquatic animals and 37.8 million tonnes of algae.

Of the total aquatic animal production, 89 percent was used for human consumption, equivalent to an estimated 20.7 kg per capita in 2022. The rest went on non-food uses, mostly fishmeal and fish oil.

An estimated 61.8 million people were employed in the primary production sector, mostly in small-scale operations. Sex-disaggregated data indicate that 24 percent of fishers and fish farmers were women compared with 62 percent in the post-harvest sector.

Over 230 countries and territories were involved in the international trade of aquatic products, reaching a record value of USD 195 billion – a 19 percent increase from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

In low- and middle-income countries, the total net trade (exports minus imports) of aquatic animal products reached USD 45 billion – greater than that of all other agricultural products combined.

In 2022, global aquaculture production reached 130.9 million tonnes, valued at USD 312.8 billion, 59 percent of global fisheries and aquaculture production.

Inland aquaculture contributed 62.6 percent of farmed aquatic animals, marine and coastal aquaculture 37.4 percent.

For the first time, aquaculture surpassed capture fisheries in aquatic animal production with 94.4 million tonnes, representing 51 percent of the world total and a record 57 percent of the production destined for human consumption.

Aquaculture remains dominated by a small number of countries, with many low-income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean not exploiting their full potential.

Targeted policies, technology transfer, capacity building and responsible investment are crucial to boost sustainable aquaculture where it is most needed, in particular in Africa.

Global capture fisheries production of aquatic animals has fluctuated between 86 and 94 million tonnes per year since the late 1980s.

In 2022, the sector produced 92.3 million tonnes, valued at about USD 159 billion and comprising 91.0 million tonnes of aquatic animals – 79.7 million tonnes caught in marine areas and 11.3 million tonnes in inland waters – in addition to 1.3 million tonnes of algae. With a share of 43 percent, marine capture fisheries remain the major source of global aquatic animal production.

The fraction of marine stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels decreased to 62.3 percent in 2021, 2.3 percent lower than in 2019.

When weighted by their production level, an estimated 76.9 percent of the 2021 landings were from biologically sustainable stocks. Effective fisheries management leads to stock recovery, and urgent action is needed to replicate successful policies and reverse declining sustainability trends.

In 2022, global apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods reached an estimated 165 million tonnes, increasing at nearly twice the annual rate of the world population since 1961.

Global annual per capita apparent consumption of aquatic animal foods rose from 9.1 kg in 1961 to an estimated 20.7 kg in 2022.

Aquatic animal foods provide high-quality proteins – 15 percent of animal proteins and 6 percent of total proteins worldwide – and key nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins.

The potential of aquatic foods to contribute to food security, nutrition and poverty reduction is increasingly recognized in major global fora such as the UN Food Systems Summit and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Aquatic animal production is expected to increase by 10 percent by 2032, driven by aquaculture expansion and capture fisheries recovery. It will reach 205 million tonnes – 111 million tonnes from aquaculture and 94 million tonnes from fisheries.

Small-scale fisheries contribute an estimated 40 percent of the global catch and support 90 percent of the capture fisheries workforce, with women representing 40 percent of all those engaged in the aquatic value chain.

Some 500 million people rely on small-scale fisheries for their livelihoods, including 53 million involved in subsistence fishing – 45 percent of whom are women.

The indicators on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and supporting small-scale fisheries show increasing uptake of international guidelines and policies. However, the indicator on increasing the economic benefits from sustainable marine fisheries is lagging, while the percentage of fishery stocks within biologically sustainable levels continues to drift from the target.