Trade in aquatic animal products has reached a record $184 billion, rivaling the terrestrial meat trade. However, ensuring the sustainable and equitable growth of marine and inland ecosystems remains a major challenge, according to the latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The report, launched on Tuesday at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya, presents updated global fisheries and aquaculture statistics. It also highlights how FAO, together with its members, communities, institutions, industry stakeholders, 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, including 195 million tonnes of aquatic animals, underscoring the sector’s growing role in global food security. While wild fisheries have largely stabilized, reflecting ecological limits and improved management of some fish stocks, aquatic animal production has continued to expand, growing at an average annual rate of 3.2 percent since the 1950s.
In 2024, aquaculture production of aquatic animals surpassed 100 million tonnes for the first time, with a farm-gate value of $371 billion. Capture fisheries produced approximately 92 million tonnes, remaining within the 86–94 million tonne range observed since the late 1980s.
Aquatic animal foods are becoming increasingly important in global diets. About 89 percent of aquatic animal production is consumed by humans, providing at least one-fifth of the animal protein intake of 3.1 billion people. The sector also supports more than 600 million livelihoods worldwide. Despite rising availability, the benefits are not evenly distributed.
Per capita consumption of aquatic animal foods, particularly in Africa, remains well below the global average, highlighting the need for targeted policies and investments. The sector also faces mounting pressures from climate change, environmental degradation, economic shocks, and geopolitical instability. Under high-emissions scenarios, exploitable fish biomass is projected to decline by more than 10 percent in several regions by 2050.
The report examines how these challenges are likely to shape the future of fisheries and aquaculture, while also exploring advances in climate adaptation and mitigation. “The report illustrates that, more than ever before, a healthy planet requires a healthy ocean and healthy inland waters,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu wrote in the 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.” In 2023, the availability of aquatic animal foods reached 171 million tonnes, although distribution remained uneven. In Asia, aquatic animal food availability averaged 26.3 kg per person, compared with just 9.1 kg per person in Africa.
Trade in aquatic products has expanded significantly over recent decades. Between 1976 and 2024, the value of exports increased more than 23-fold (and nearly sixfold in real terms), keeping pace with overall global trade growth. This expansion has been driven by increased production, improved logistics and processing, competitive pricing, and trade liberalization. Today, many products cross multiple borders before reaching consumers as part of increasingly complex global supply chains.
FAO projects continued growth in production, consumption, and trade, with total aquatic animal production expected to reach 214 million tonnes by 2034. Through its Blue Transformation Roadmap 2022–2030, FAO is working with Members and partners to improve the sustainability, productivity, and inclusiveness of fisheries and aquaculture.
Since its launch in 2021, the initiative has supported tangible progress around the world. In aquaculture, FAO promotes science-based governance, spatial planning, and innovation, including climate-smart and integrated production systems such as rice-fish farming, trout production, and models that combine aquaculture with renewable energy. In capture fisheries, FAO supports stronger governance frameworks, improved data collection, and enhanced monitoring and surveillance.
It also works with regional fisheries bodies to manage shared stocks, combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and help countries implement the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.
SOFIA 2026: Key Facts and Figures
- Aquaculture production of aquatic animals exceeded 100 million tonnes for the first time in 2024, reaching 103 million tonnes.
- Aquaculture now accounts for 53 percent of total aquatic animal production and more than 59 percent of aquatic animal food output.
- Including algae, aquaculture produced 141 million tonnes, valued at $391 billion.
- Nearly all growth in aquatic production since the late 1980s has come from aquaculture.
- Capture fisheries production reached 92 million tonnes in 2024, including 80 million tonnes from marine fisheries.
- In 2023, 72.6 percent of all fish landings originated from biologically sustainable stocks.
- Tuna catches reached a record 9.3 million tonnes in 2024.
- Anchoveta catches more than doubled in 2024, rising 109 percent to over 5 million tonnes, up from 2.4 million tonnes in 2023.
- Inland fisheries production reached a record 12.3 million tonnes in 2024.
- At $184 billion, the aquatic animal trade now rivals the terrestrial meat trade, with more than one-third of production traded internationally.
- Global per capita availability of aquatic animal food averaged 21.1 kg in 2023 and rose to an estimated 21.3 kg in 2024.
- The sector supports more than 600 million livelihoods worldwide-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
