Communications & Outreach

2018 SOFIA Highlights

The 2018 edition of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) is now available.

SOFIA is the flagship publication of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. This premier advocacy document is published every two years to provide policy-makers, civil society and those whose livelihoods depend on the sector a comprehensive, objective and global view of capture fisheries and aquaculture, including associated policy issues.

Here are some highlights which underscore the importance of the aquaculture sector:

• Aquaculture production represents 53 percent of global seafood supply – and 64 percent of total global seafood sale value
• With capture fishery production relatively static since the 1980s, aquaculture has been responsible for the continuing impressive growth in the supply of fish for human consumption
• Global demand for seafood continues to rise each year beyond population growth– with only chicken surpassing the growth of demand for seafood
• The annual increase in global seafood consumption (3.2 percent) continued to outpace population growth (1.6 percent)
• The annual increase in global seafood consumption exceeds that of meet all terrestrial animals combined (2.8 percent)
• In 2015, fish accounted for about 17 percent of animal protein consumed by the global population