Increased investment in the aquaculture industry, especially in water use, breeding, hatchery practices, and advances in feed, should boost farmed fish production by 4.14% per year to 2022 – well above the FAO’s estimate of growth of 2.54% made earlier this year in a joint report with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Between 1950 and 2012, aquaculture grew from a non-existent industry to a record production of 66.5 million tons – a 30-fold increase since 1970. Of the total $127 billion worth of fish exports in 2011 50% came from developing countries, which received more revenue from fish sales than from tea, rice, cocoa, and coffee combined. Given its ample water resources, Africa will be the region to see the world’s highest growth rate in aquaculture of over 5% per year. In 2014, for the first time, farmed fish consumption surpassed wild catch fish consumption which is expected to see a growth of only 5% over the next decade. Fish prices are forecast to be 27% higher in 2022 than today, however, if aquaculture sees greater expansion, prices could rise by only 7%.
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