SUMMARY: Asia is the largest continent in the world. Asians comprise 60% of the world's current population of 6.1 billion. Since ancient times, most Asians have relied on fish and other aquatic foods as a major source of animal protein. At the end of the 1990s, a full two-thirds of the world annual food fish production, 93 million metric tons, were consumed in Asia. The vast aquatic resources in the region coupled with aquaculture history which spans for millennia have predisposed the Asians to be predominantly seafood consumers. In 1999, aquaculture and capture fisheries production in the region constituted 91 % and 49% by weight, respectively, of the total world production. The top ten aquaculture producers and five of the top ten capture fisheries producers were from Asia.