Over the past 70 years, the total volume of fishery and aquaculture products (excluding algae) has grown significantly: in 1950 it amounted to 19 million tons (in the equivalent of live weight), and in 2018 it reached a historical maximum – about 179 million tons; at the same time, the annual growth rate was 3.3%. In 2019, the volume of production it decreased by 1% compared to 2018, and in 2020 it increased again, albeit by only 0.2%, and reached 178 million tons. The total market value of products produced in the sector in 2020 amounted to $ 406 billion, with $ 265 billion accounted for aquaculture products.
The stagnation observed in the last two years is primarily due to some deterioration in the situation in the commercial fishing sector, in which 4.5% less products were produced in 2019 compared to the peak of 2018 (96 million tons), and in 2020 – by another 2.1% less. These dynamics were determined by the following factors: fluctuations in the catch of pelagic species, especially anchovies, a reduction in catch in China in recent years and the impact of COVID-19 on the sector in 2020. In the last two years, the growth of production in aquaculture has continued (due to which the total volume of production has mainly grown since the late 1980s), although its pace has decreased (in 2018-2019 - 3.3%, and in 2019-2020 – 2.6%, with an average annual growth of 4.6% in 2010-2018).
The slowdown in growth is due to a number of factors, including changes in China's environmental policy and the problems associated with COVID-19 that arose in 2020, including sanitary measures, which not only affected production for export markets, but also reduced the amount of available labor, consumables and means of production (including feed, fry and ice); interruptions in transportation and marketing have also left their mark. Since aquaculture has developed faster than commercial fishing in the last two years, its share in the total volume of fishing and aquaculture products has continued to grow. In 2020, 178 million tons of products were produced; in this volume, fishing products accounted for 51% (90 million tons), and aquaculture products – 49% (88 million tons).
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a comprehensive impact on fisheries and aquaculture worldwide, driven by changing consumer demand, disruptions in the functioning of markets and logistical difficulties associated with the introduction of stringent measures to contain the spread of infection, which have hampered the work of the sector. Among these measures were the closure of shops, the establishment of a curfew, the requirement to maintain physical distance in operations and on board ships, as well as restrictions in ports. In a number of countries, the closure of stores provoked a drop in demand and, as a result, a decrease in prices for fishing and aquaculture products. Many fishing fleets and aquaculture enterprises have stopped or reduced their activities because they have become unprofitable; they had a particularly hard time during the first waves of the pandemic in 2020. Due to low demand, market closures and/or lack of cold storage capacity, fishing quotas were not filled.
Restrictions on mobility extended to professional seafarers, including observers working on fishing on the high seas, and maritime workers in ports, which prevented the change of crews.
The production of fishery and aquaculture products aimed at export markets decreased more significantly than the production of products intended for domestic markets. The reason for this was the closure of markets, increased transport costs, cancellation of flights and restrictions at the borders. Due to the closure of catering companies (for example, hotels, restaurants, school and factory canteens), the supply of fresh fish and shellfish to domestic markets has also seriously decreased. The consequences in the world turned out to be heterogeneous in scale: in many countries, the volume of catch and production of aquaculture products fell in the first weeks and months of the crisis, after which the sector adapted to the situation and the situation improved. For example, at the height of the crisis caused by COVID-19, the catch in all areas of the United States decreased by 40%. Also, a decrease in fishing efforts was noted in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania; the volume of catch of fleets that extracted more valuable species, such as lobsters or tuna intended for export, was particularly noticeable. Among other things, the current situation has expanded opportunities for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
One hundred and twelve million tons (63% of the total production) were extracted in marine waters (70% – fishing products, 30% – aquaculture products), and 66 million tons (37%) – in inland waters (83% – aquaculture products, 17% – fishing products). Thanks to the development of aquaculture in the last few decades, production in inland waters has also increased. Subsequently, the volume of aquaculture production increased, as did its share in the total volume: in the 1990s - 18%, in the 2000s – 28%, and in the 2010s - 34%. Nevertheless, fishing in sea waters remains the main source of production. For several decades, the volume of marine fishing has steadily increased, and since the late 1980s it has remained stable and amounts to about 80 million tons, with small interannual fluctuations in the range of 3-4 million tons.
This is the general trend, but there are significant differences between continents, regions and countries. In 2020, most products were produced in Asia, which accounted for 70% of total production in fisheries and aquaculture, followed by the countries of North and South America (12%), Europe (10%), Africa (7%) and Oceania (1%). Over the past few decades, the total volume of fishing and aquaculture products has grown significantly on all continents. The exceptions are Europe, where it gradually declined since the late 1980s, then grew at a small pace for several years, peaked in 2018 and began to decline again, and North and South America, where it peaked in the mid-1990s, and then rose and fell several times, mainly due to fluctuations in the anchovy catch. In Africa and Asia, the indicator under consideration has almost doubled over the past 20 years. At the same time, in 2020, the volume of production in Africa decreased by 3%, and in Oceania – by 5% compared to 2019 – most likely, this decrease was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. China in 2020 remained in first place in terms of output (35% of the total), followed by India (8%), Indonesia (7%), Vietnam (5%) and Peru (3%). These five countries accounted for about 58% of the production produced in the global fisheries and aquaculture sector in 2020. The sector's contribution to economic development was also heterogeneous. In recent decades, the share of fishery and aquaculture products supplied to the markets of low- and middle-income countries has been growing. In 2020, most products were produced in upper-middle-income countries, including China (49% of the total), followed by lower-middle-income countries (32%), high-income countries (17%) and finally low-income countries (2%).
In 2020, about 33% of the total production was produced in the inland waters of Asia, 22% in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and 10% in the western tip of the central Pacific Ocean. In 2020, the highest share of the total volume came from the Pacific Ocean (40%), and from the Atlantic Ocean – only 13%. The volume of production in different areas depends on various factors, including the level of development of countries.
Many species of fish are caught annually, while its number and species composition varies depending on the region. In 2020, 76% of the total volume of fish caught were bony fish. In the largest volumes in 2020, carp, common barbels and other carp were supplied to the markets (18% of the caught fish); they were followed by various freshwater species and herring, sardines and anchovies. As the data at the species level show, in the first place in terms of catch in 2020 was the whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) – 5.8 million tons, and in the following places - grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), oysters (Crassostrea spp.), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens).
The total catch in 2020 amounted to 178 million tons; in the same year, 36 million tons (crude weight) of marine and other algae species were delivered to the markets, 97% of which were produced in the aquaculture sector. In the last few decades, the production of marine and other types of algae has increased dramatically: in 2000 it amounted to 12 million tons, and in 2010 – 21 million tons. But in 2020, it increased by only 2% compared to 2019. The main producers of marine and other types of algae remained Asian countries, which accounted for 97% of production. In the first place in terms of production in 2020 was China (58% of the total), followed by Indonesia (27%) and the Republic of Korea (5%).
The total output of the fishing and aquaculture sector, including both marine and other types of algae and fish, reached a historic maximum of 214 million tons in 2020, while the overall growth compared to 2019 was only 0.4%, and compared to 2018, when the previous record was recorded, 0.3%. Most of the products in 2020 were produced in Asia (75%), followed by the countries of North and South America (10%), Europe (8%), Africa (6%) and Oceania (1%). Already in 2013, the aquaculture sector supplied more fish and algae to the markets in aggregate than fishing, and in 2020 its share in total production reached 57%.
