This dataset covers annual series of aquaculture production from 1950 for the quantities and from 1984 for the values. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Farming implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as regular stocking, feeding, protection from predators, etc. Farming also implies individual or corporate ownership of the stock being cultivated. For statistical purposes, aquatic organisms which are harvested by an individual or corporate body which has owned them throughout their rearing period contribute to aquaculture while aquatic organisms which are exploitable by the public as a common property resource, with or without appropriate licenses, are the harvest of fisheries. Production of fish, crustaceans and molluscs is expressed in live weight, that is the nominal weight of the aquatic organisms at the time of capture. The harvest of aquatic plants is given in wet weight. Quantities are given in tonnes (=1000 kg). The value of aquaculture, converted from local currencies, is reported in thousands US dollars using appropriate exchange rates and is expressed in nominal terms.

Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and all other aquatic organisms included in the dataset have been classified according to approximately 700 commercial species items, further arranged within the 50 groups of species constituting the nine divisions of the FAO International Standard Statistical Classification of Aquatic Animals and Plants (ISSCAAP). The taxonomic code descriptors are taken from the " ASFIS list of species for fishery statistics purposes" (version 2022). Please note that the list of species disseminated in these datasets might not adhere entirely to ASFIS(version 2022) due to differing publication schedules.

Aquaculture production is reported by three culture environments: freshwater, brackishwater and marine water:

- By freshwater is meant waters with a consistently negligible salinity.
- By brackishwater is meant waters in which the salinity is appreciable but not to a constant high level. It is usually characterized by regular daily and seasonal fluctuations in salinity due to freshwater and full strength marine water influxes. Enclosed coastal and inland water bodies in which the salinity is greater than freshwater but less than marine water are also regarded as brackish.
- By marine is meant coastal and offshore waters in which the salinity is maximal and not subject to significant daily and seasonal variation.

Aquaculture production is also classified according to the inland or marine area where production took place. These are divided into eight major inland fishing areas and 19 major marine fishing areas, internationally established for fishery statistical purposes (https://www.fao.org/cwp-on-fishery-statistics/handbook/general-concepts/main-water-areas/en/).

The list of countries and the geographical classification are primarily based on the UN "STANDARD COUNTRY OR AREA CODES FOR STATISTICAL USE" (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/).

Additional country classifications available in this Workspace are based on a variety of sources. Here below the main ones:

- Least Developed Countries (LDC) (version 2021) (https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/ldc_list.pdf)
- Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) (2021 revision)(https://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/lifdc/en/)
- Land-Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) (https://unctad.org/topic/landlocked-developing-countries/list-of-LLDCs)
- Small Island Developing States (SIDS) (https://www.un.org/ohrlls/content/list-sids)
- Net Food-Importing Developing Countries(NFIDC) (2021 revision) (https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/G/AG/5R11.pdf&Open=True2021)
- The classification of the World Bank by income (2023 revision) (https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups)

Several countries still report their aquaculture production by large groups of species. In these circumstances the data presented by individual species items are likely to be underestimated. Therefore, when examining the statistics for a particular species, it should be noted that an unknown proportion of the production for that species might have been reported by the national office under the generic, family or order name of the species, or even more roughly as 'fishes not identified'. Consequently, species item totals frequently underestimate the real production of the individual species.

Starting with the release of March 2003, aquaculture production (quantities) statistics have been extended back to 1950. Data before 1970 in respect to certain species may be subject to further improvements.

Where necessary, any data published in previous releases of this dataset have been revised. Where the figures in the current release differ from those previously published, the amended data represent the most recent version. Some statistics provided to FAO by national offices, in particular those for the last year, are provisional and may be amended in future editions.

Prepared by the Statistics Team, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, FAO, on the basis of information available as of 31 December 2022.

NB: When viewing time-series data in FishStatJ, in order to obtain the aggregates presented in the Summary Tables of the "FAO Yearbook of Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics" which exclude production figures for aquatic plants, pearls and mother-of-pearl, data should be filtered using a Custom Group:

1. Open the Filter Dialog Box (Data/Filter or F4).
2. Click the [Species] tab.
3. Click the Groups combo box and select [Yearbook/SOFIA].
4. Click [Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc].
5. Click the single left arrow in order to move under the "Include" left panel all selected species belonging to [Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, etc].
6. Click [OK]. The program will return you to the Main Window.

" "= Official value (no symbol associated);
" E " (previously displayed as " F ")= FAO estimate from available sources of information;
" nei " = Not Elsewhere Included.

Symbols associated to value " 0 ":
" M " (previously displayed as " ... ") = Data not available; unobtainable; data not separately available but included in another category;
" " (previously displayed as " - ")= Nil or zero;
" N " (previously displayed as " 0 ") = More than zero but less than half the unit used.

You can customize the display of the symbols by accessing to Format/Symbols and Colors.

The annual period used is the calendar year (1 January - 31 December), with the exceptions of data for some countries for which a split-year is used. Split-year data are shown under the calendar year in which the split-year ends.

When quoting FishStatJ data, please use the following reference:

FAO. 2023. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global aquaculture production 1950-2021 (FishStatJ). In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division [online]. Rome. Updated 2023. www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/software/fishstatj/en

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

FAO declines all responsibility for errors or deficiencies in the database or software or in the documentation accompanying it, for program maintenance and upgrading as well as for any damage that may arise from them. FAO also declines any responsibility for updating the data and assumes no responsibility for errors and omissions in the data provided. Users are, however, kindly asked to report any errors or deficiencies in this product to FAO.

The word "countries" appearing in the text refers to countries, territories and areas without distinction.

The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers.

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