Mombasa: At $184 billion, trade in aquatic animal products continues to hit record highs and now rivals terrestrial meat trade in value. Ensuring sustainable and equitable growth of marine and inland ecosystems, however, remains a key challenge, according to the latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA 2026) report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
According to Emirates News Agency, the report, which was launched at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, presents updated global fisheries and aquaculture statistics. It highlights how FAO, along with its members, communities, institutions, industry, and partners, is translating its Blue Transformation vision into measurable results.
SOFIA 2026 estimates that global fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 235 million tonnes in 2024, with 195 million tonnes being aquatic animals. This confirms the sector's expanding role in feeding the global population.
While wild fisheries have largely stabilized due to ecological limits and effective management of some fishery stocks, aquatic animal production has continued to grow, averaging 3.2% annually since the 1950s. In 2024, aquaculture production of aquatic animals surpassed 100 million tonnes for the first time, valued at $371 billion at farm gate. Capture fisheries reached about 92 million tonnes and have remained within the 86-94 million tonnes range since the late 1980s.
Aquatic animal foods are becoming increasingly central to human diets, with 89 percent of the production of aquatic animals going to human consumption. This supplies at least one-fifth of the animal protein consumption for 3.1 billion people. The sector also supports more than 600 million livelihoods worldwide.
Despite the rising availability, benefits remain uneven. Per capita supply of aquatic animal food, particularly in Africa, falls well below the global average, highlighting the need for targeted policies.
The sector is also facing growing pressures from climate change, environmental degradation, economic shocks, and geopolitical shifts, which are affecting performance and sustainability. For example, under high emissions scenarios, exploitable fish biomass is projected to decline by over 10% by 2050 in several regions.
The report examines how these pressures will shape the sector, alongside advances in adaptation and mitigation to climate change.
"The report illustrates that, more than ever before, a healthy planet requires a healthy ocean and healthy inland waters," FAO Director-General QU Dongyu stated in its Foreword. "We need to ensure that all necessary efforts are made to reverse the decline in sustainability and secure the long-term potential of the sector, for generations to come."