New research from the Earth Policy Institute shows that public consumption of seafood is building on a trend started in 2011, and projects that in 2013 people will eat more farm-raised fish than wild.
The trend of increased fish farming grew obvious in 2011, when according to the institute farmed fish production in raw tonnage worldwide surpassed beef. By 2012, fish farming was recorded at 66 million tons, compared with 63 million tons of beef.
With the world’s population and worldwide demand for animal protein growing exponentially, the institute said farmed seafood may well be playing a more significant role in food supply in the coming years, more so than beef and more so than wild seafood.
“The bottom line is that getting much more food from natural systems may not be possible,” the institute wrote. “Much of the world’s grassland is stocked at or beyond capacity, and most of the world’s fisheries are fished to their limits or already crashing.”
Part of the reason for the increase fish farming focus is efficiency, according to the institute.
“Cattle consume 7 pounds of grain or more to produce an additional pound of beef,” the institute wrote. “This is twice as high as the grain rations for pigs, and over three times those of poultry. Fish are far more efficient, typically taking less than 2 pounds of feed to add another pound of weight.”
