9^th Global Food Security Food Safety and Sustainability

Aquaculture in Food Security

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Fish contributes to national food self-sufficiency through direct consumption and through trade and exports. Therefore more attention should be given to increase in production of Aquaculture. In traditional fish eating countries in Asia and Oceania, per capita consumption are mostly above 25 kg. In some island countries in the Pacific the per capita consumption are above 50 kg per year or even as high as 190 kg as is the case in Maldives. The extreme importance of fish to food security and nutrition may be illustrated by assessments on the situation in Africa. FAO estimates that fish provides 22 percent of the protein intake in sub-Saharan Africa. This share, however, can exceed 50 percent in the poorest countries.Aquaculture can benefit the livelihoods of the poor either through an improved food supply and/or through employment and increased income and there is one sure benefit of consuming fish,  that is the nutritional and health benefit to be gained from its valuable nutritional content. Food fish has a nutrient profile superior to all terrestrial meats. It is an excellent source of high quality animal protein and highly digestible energy, In fact, if there is a single food that could be used to address all of the different aspects of world malnutrition, it is fish - the staple animal protein source of traditional fishers.