The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2010 - FAO

World review of fisheries and aquaculture
23
Figure 11
World acquaculture production: major species groups in 2008
QUANTITY
(million tonnes)
54.7% Freshwater fishes
28.8 million tonnes
24.9% Molluscs
13.1 million tonnes
9.5% Crustaceans
5.0 million tonnes
6.3% Diadromous fishes
3.3 million tonnes
3.4% Marine fishes
1.8 million tonnes
1.2% Aquatic animals NEI
0.6 million tonnes
VALUE
(US$ billions)
41.2% Freshwater fishes
US$40.5 billion
13.3% Molluscs
US$13.1 billion
23.1% Crustaceans
US$22.7 billion
13.3% Diadromous fishes
US$13.1 billion
6.7% Marine fishes
US$6.6 billion
2.4% Aquatic animals NEI
US$2.4 billion
Note: NEI = not elsewhere included.
leading producers. The major species concerned are turbot (Psetta maxima), bastard
halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus) and tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). Norway’s
production of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) grew significantly in the period 2000–08.
More than half the volume (0.35 million tonnes, or 57 percent) of miscellaneous
aquatic animals are produced in freshwater. The most important species are softshelled
turtles followed by frogs. Production in marine water (0.27 million tonnes,
or 43 percent) includes jellyfishes, Japanese sea cucumbers and sea squirts as major
species.
Aquaculture production of all major species groups continued to increase in the
period 2000–08 (Figure 12), although finfish and mollusc production grew more slowly
than in the period 1990–2000. In contrast, crustacean production grew at an average
annual rate of almost 15 percent in this period, faster than in the previous decade.
The rapid increase in crustacean production largely reflects the dramatic increase in
white leg shrimp culture in China, Thailand and Indonesia. Figure 13 presents world
aquaculture production by major species group in the period 1970–2008.
The contribution from aquaculture to global total production of major species
groups has increased markedly since 1950, except for marine fishes. In 2008,
aquaculture accounted for 76.4 percent of global freshwater finfish production,
64.1 percent of molluscs, 68.2 percent of diadromous fishes and 46.4 percent of
crustacean production (Figure 14). Although cultured crustaceans still account for
less than half of the total crustacean global production, the culture production of
penaeids (shrimps and prawns) in 2008 was 73.3 percent of the total production. While