Aquaculture production passes 100 million tonnes for first time, says FAO

Global fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 235 million tonnes in 2024, according to the latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The SOFIA 2026 report, launched earlier this month at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, found that aquatic animal production had reached 195 million tonnes, confirming the sector’s growing role in global food security.

Aquaculture continued to drive growth, with aquatic animal production from farming exceeding 100 million tonnes for the first time. FAO said aquaculture produced 103 million tonnes of aquatic animals in 2024, valued at USD 371 billion at the farm gate.

And, when seaweed and algae are included in the aquaculture statistics, the total aquaculture production reached around 142 million tonnes, valued at USD 391 billion.

FAO said aquaculture accounted for 53% of global aquatic animal production and more than 59% of aquatic animal foods for human consumption.

Aquaculture animal production first surpassed capture fisheries in 2021, confirming its role as the main driver of growth in aquatic food systems.

Asia remains by far the dominant aquaculture region, accounting for around 89% of global aquatic animal aquaculture production. The top five producing countries -- China, India, Indonesia, Viet Nam and Bangladesh -- together accounted for 82% of total farmed aquatic animal output.

Meanwhile, FAO said, freshwater systems are the main source of aquaculture production of aquatic animals, accounting for 64 million tonnes, or 63% of the total. Marine and coastal aquaculture produced 38 million tonnes.

Capture fisheries production remained broadly stable at 92 million tonnes of aquatic animals in 2024, continuing a long-term pattern of fluctuation between 86 million tonnes and 94 million tonnes since the late 1980s.

Marine capture fisheries accounted for around 80 million tonnes, while inland fisheries reached a record 12.3 million tonnes. FAO said inland fisheries growth was driven partly by better data collection and reporting, as well as higher production in countries where the subsector plays an important food security role.

However, FAO said concern over the status of marine fishery resources persists. The share of the world’s marine fishery stocks fished within biologically sustainable levels declined to 62.4% in 2023, down from 64.5% in 2021.

When considered by volume, however, 72.6% of landings from assessed stocks monitored by FAO were estimated to come from sustainably fished stocks, suggesting that larger and more productive stocks tend to be better managed.

FAO said the trends underline the need for stronger fisheries data collection, assessment and management systems.

Turning to trade, the FAO found that international trade in aquatic products reached USD 186 billion in 2024, involving 230 countries and territories. Aquatic animal products accounted for USD 184 billion of this total, with algae and other aquatic products making up the remaining USD 2 billion.

FAO said the value of trade in aquatic animal products is now comparable to terrestrial meats, and aquatic trade accounts for 9% of total agricultural trade, excluding forestry.

The figures also underline the international nature of aquatic food supply chains, with around 36% of global aquatic animal production traded internationally in 2024.

FAO’s figures also mark a distinction between production volume and export value. While Asia accounted for the majority of global aquatic animal production, Europe represented the largest share of aquatic animal export value in 2024, at 38%, followed by Asia with 34% and Latin America and the Caribbean with 15%.

The top five exporting countries were China, Norway, Viet Nam, Ecuador and Chile.

Europe was also the top importer, with the European Union the largest single market, importing USD 63 billion of aquatic animal products, including USD 31 billion of intra-EU trade.

The top five importing countries were the United States, China, Japan, Spain and Italy.

By value, finfish accounted for 68% of traded aquatic animal products, followed by crustaceans at 22% and molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates at 11%. Salmonids remained the most valuable species group, representing 21% of total trade value.

The report confirms that aquatic animal foods are increasingly important in global diets, with 89% of production destined for human consumption in 2024. FAO said aquatic animal foods contributed 15% of global animal protein availability and at least 20% of animal protein availability for more than 40% of the world’s population in 2023.

The sector is also key to the livelihoods of millions globally. In 2024, an estimated 65 million people were employed in the primary fisheries and aquaculture sector, excluding subsistence activities. Aquaculture accounted for 35% of these workers, while capture fisheries accounted for 56%.

However, this is not the full picture: FAO said the wider fisheries and aquaculture sector supports more than 600 million livelihoods when subsistence and secondary sector workers, and their dependents, are included.

But despite rising global availability, access to aquatic animal foods remains uneven: per capita availability came in at an average of 21.1 kg in 2023 and rose only slightly to a preliminary estimate of 21.3 kg in 2024.

In 2023, FAO found that availability ranged from 26.3 kg per person in Asia to 9.1 kg in Africa. FAO said Africa nevertheless recorded the second-highest contribution from aquatic animal foods to animal protein availability, at around 19%, highlighting the importance of aquatic foods to nutrition in the region.

The report projects continued growth in fisheries and aquaculture production, consumption and trade through to 2034, although at slower rates than in previous decades.

FAO expects aquatic animal production to reach 214 million tonnes by 2034, with aquaculture projected to rise to 119 million tonnes and capture fisheries to around 95 million tonnes.

Aquaculture is expected to account for 62% of aquatic animal food availability by 2034. However, FAO warned that increases in per capita availability will not be evenly distributed, with availability in Africa projected to decline as population growth outpaces supply.

It said targeted policies and investment are needed to improve availability, accessibility and affordability, particularly in regions where aquatic foods are important to food security but supply remains limited.

The report also warned that climate change, pollution, ecosystem degradation, economic shocks and geopolitical shifts are increasingly affecting the performance and sustainability of aquatic food systems.

Under high-emissions scenarios, exploitable fish biomass is projected to decline by more than 10% by 2050 in several regions, the report warns.

And for inland fisheries, FAO said habitat degradation, pollution, climate and weather impacts, and invasive species continue to create pressure on aquatic resources.

“The report illustrates that, more than ever before, a healthy planet requires a healthy ocean and healthy inland waters,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu wrote in the report’s foreword.

“We need to ensure that all necessary efforts are made to reverse the decline in sustainability and secure the long-term potential of the sector, for generations to come.”

FAO said its Blue Transformation Roadmap, launched in 2021, is intended to help address these pressures by supporting sustainable aquaculture expansion, effective fisheries management and more efficient, inclusive and environmentally responsible aquatic food value chains.