Blue food demand across geographic and temporal scales

Abstract

Numerous studies have focused on the need to expand production of ‘blue foods’, defined as aquatic foods captured or cultivated in marine and freshwater systems, to meet rising population- and income-driven demand. Here we analyze the roles of economic, demographic, and geographic factors and preferences in shaping blue food demand, using secondary data from FAO and The World Bank, parameters from published models, and case studies at national to sub-national scales. Our results show a weak cross-sectional relationship between per capita income and consumption globally when using an aggregate fish metric. Disaggregation by fish species group reveals distinct geographic patterns; for example, high consumption of freshwater fish in China and pelagic fish in Ghana and Peru where these fish are widely available, affordable, and traditionally eaten. We project a near doubling of global fish demand by mid-century assuming continued growth in aquaculture production and constant real prices for fish. Our study concludes that nutritional and environmental consequences of rising demand will depend on substitution among fish groups and other animal source foods in national diets.

Systematic review and meta‐analysis of production performance of aquaculture species fed dietary insect meals

“…The top fish consuming nations’ (e.g. China, India) demand will nearly double from 80.7 million tonnes to 154.6 million tonnes between 2015 and 2050 1 . Given that capture fisheries, if applying technological and institutional innovations, might achieve maximum production of 57.4 million tonnes by 2050 (a 16% increase from the current level), 3 the growing demand for global fish foods will be mainly met by aquaculture production 4 .…”

Contrasting nursery habitats promote variations in the bioenergetic condition of juvenile female red squat lobsters (Pleuroncodes monodon) of the Southern Pacific Ocean

“…In particular, identifying variations in bioenergetic condition (as an integrated concept: measured as the body mass and biochemical components) of juvenile female red squat lobsters at different latitudes and/or localities of the HCS may help to predict and estimate the abundance of adult populations ( i.e., exploitable biomass), which are exploited by commercial fisheries in the HCS. Moreover, for sustainable fishing certification processes of crustaceans ( Naylor et al, 2021 ; Nyiawung, Raj & Foley, 2021 ), the detection and description of site-specific attributes, such as biochemical components (used as biological tracers: ( Fonseca et al, 2022 ; Shilla & Routh, 2017 ) of red squat lobster stocks will aid in tracing this fishery resource back to its geographic origin or source population. Furthermore, identifying which stock is of higher quality in terms of its bioenergetic condition could greatly benefit the sustainable management of these fisheries in the HCS ( Smith & Addison, 2003 ).…”

Prospects of fish supply-demand and its implications for food and nutrition security in Egypt

“…The market demand for domestic and imported fish, 𝑞 (𝑆) and 𝑞 (𝑆), can be formalized as in equation (7).…”

“…Global demand for fish and other aquatic foods is expected to double by 2050 [7], fuelled by population and economic growth, globalisation, urbanisation in developing countries, and diet shifts in developed countries [1]. While fast-growing demands are opportunities for aquaculture expansion in low and middle-income countries, challenges also exist, such as rising costs of input supply and quality [8,9], infectious diseases [10][11][12], and rising labour costs that can reduce the growth momentum in economic sectors [13,14].…”