Audio
Audio
Report highlights growing role of fish in feeding the world
©FAO/Marco Longari
12 May 2014, Rome – More people than ever before rely on fisheries and aquaculture for food and as a source of income, but wastage, harmful practices and poor management threaten the sector’s sustainability, says a new FAO report published today. According to the latest edition of the UN agency’s The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, global fisheries and aquaculture production totalled 158 million tonnes in 2012 - around 10 million tonnes more than 2010. The rapid expansion of aquaculture, including the activities of small-scale farmers, is driving this growth in production. Fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food which is taking place due to global population growth, the report says. At the same time, the planet's oceans – if sustainably managed – have an important role to play in providing jobs and feeding the world, according to FAO's report.

Lahsen Ababouch is the Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Economics Division at FAO. In the following interview he discusses the key issues emerging within the fisheries and aquaculture sector and what effect expansion of the sector has on fish stocks and overall global food security.
6min. 56sec.
Topic(s): Fisheries & aquaculture, Food production & stocks, Food Security
Produced by: Sandra Ferrari
 
Reference: 10516