Fisheries and aquaculture production in Latin America and the Caribbean
It is estimated that fisheries and aquaculture provide a livelihood for 540 million people worldwide, 8% of the world's population. The seas of Latin America and the Caribbean are a source of healthy food and a resource for thousands of families.
According to FAO data, in 2009 aquaculture provided 81% of the seafood, 76% of the freshwater fish, 69% of the salmon and 42% of the shrimp consumed in the world, generating employment for 9 million people. Aquaculture is also the world's fastest-growing food industry: 7% per year, accounting for more than 50% of fish for human consumption.
The contribution of aquaculture to the regional economy has grown substantially in the last 10 years. It provides employment for more than 200,000 people directly and approximately 500,000 indirectly.
From a food perspective, more than 100,000 rural families in the region depend directly or indirectly on aquaculture for their livelihood, including food for private consumption.
Sustainable production
In order to maintain current per capita fish consumption, by 2030 aquaculture must produce 28.8 million more tonnes per year than at present.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, production has also grown at annual rates of approximately 20%: whereas in 1990 186,000 tonnes were produced per year, in 2006, production exceeded 1.3 million tonnes.
It is nevertheless essential that this growth should take place in an environmentally sustainable, socially just manner and generate products that are healthy and secure.
The FAO supports the sustainable production of fisheries and aquaculture through organizations such as the Aquaculture Network of the Americas to look after the resource and support small-scale fisheries and small producers.
Aquaculture in the region
- With more than 1.8 million tonnes of aquaculture products in 2009, Latin America and the Caribbean account for 3% of global production.
- While Chile, Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico account for more than 80% of the regional aquaculture volume, this activity is carried out on various scales in virtually all countries of the region, contributing significantly to food security, employment and foreign currency generation.
- Limited resource aquaculture (equivalent to family agriculture), is practised by more than 100,000 families in the countries of the region.
What is produced in the Region?
The main regional cultures are exotic species, mainly salmonids (trout and other fish) in nine countries of the region; marine shrimp in 18 countries and tilapia in 20 countries.
After continuous growth lasting more than a decade, continental catches peaked at 536,000 tonnes at regional level in 2004. However, they then went on to decline by 9% to reach a level of 486,000 tonnes. Regional aquaculture maintains a growth rate exceeding that of any other region in the world.