The Relationship of Freshwater

Aquaculture Production to

Renewable Freshwater Resources

Claude E. Boyd

Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures

Auburn University, Alabama USA

Current and projected world population by region. Population

(millions)

Increase

Region 2010 2050 (%)

Asia 4,169 5,231 20.3

Africa 1,033 1,998 93.4

Europe 733 691 -5.7

Latin America (South America,

Mexico, and Caribbean)

589

729

23.7

Northern America (US and

Canada)

352 448 27.2

Oceania (includes Australia) 36 51 41.6

World 6,909 9,150 32.4

World population and water footprint projections.

2008 2025 2050

Population (millions) 6,761 8,027 9,539

Water footprint (km3/yr) 8,400 9,980 11,190

*Accessible runoff (km3/yr) 12,500 ? ?

About 30% of total runoff currently is accessible for

human use.

Contribution of fisheries

production to total world

animal protein supply.

Year (%)

1961 13.7

1992 14.9

1996 16.0

2003 14.6

2005 15.3

Aquaculture

World capture

Summary of world fisheries production (2009).

Component

Production

(million tonne)

% total

fisheries

Inland fisheries

Capture 10.1 7

Aquaculture 35.0 24

Marine fisheries

Capture1 79.9 55

Aquaculture 20.1 14

Total fisheries

145.1

100 1Includes the fish meal fishery. If only fisheries

products for direct human consumption are

considered, aquaculture production approximately

equals capture fisheries production.

Total food fish supply and freshwater aquaculture

production by region in 2007.

Million tonnes live weight

Total food

fish

supply

Freshwater

aquaculture

production

Oceania 0.9 0.0014

Latin America and Caribbean 5.2 0.409

North America 8.2 0.333

Africa 8.2 0.332

Europe 16.2 0.454

Asia 74.5 30.0

China only 34.9 20.8

World 113.1 31.5

Estimated increase by 2050 in demand for edible

fisheries products.

Population

Fisheries products consumed

(million tonne)

Year (billion) Total Capture Aquaculture

2009 6.91 117.8 62.7 55.1

2050 9.15 156 63.0 93.0

AFR =

100

where AFR = freshwater aquaculture

production to renewable freshwater ratio

(tonne/km3); AP = freshwater aquaculture

production (tonne/yr); RF = total renewable

freshwater (km3/yr). The AFR also was

estimated for continent and world levels.

AP

RF

Ratio of freshwater aquaculture production to renewable

freshwater resources (AFR) in selected countries.

Country

AFR

(tonne/km3)

Country

AFR

(tonne/km3)

Africa: North America:

Ethiopia 0 United States 106

S. Africa 24

Zimbabwe 122 Latin America & Caribbean:

Nigeria 500 Chile 10

Egypt 1,138 Colombia 22

Mexico 23

Asia: Brazil 26 Japan 93

Malaysia 165 Europe: Rep. of Korea 275 Russia 26 Thailand 1,260 Germany 197 India 1,752 France 219 Vietnam 1,987 Czech. Republic 1,275

China 7,344

Renewable freshwater, freshwater aquaculture production, and

freshwater aquaculture production:renewable freshwater ratio

(AFR) by region.

Continent

Renewable

freshwater

(km3/yr)

Freshwater

aquaculture

(tonne/yr)

AFR

(tonne/km3)

Asia 12,461 30,015,550 2,409

(Asia without China) 9,649 9,234,485 957

Africa 3,950 332,113 84.1

North America 6,662 333,219 50.0

Europe 6,619 454,501 68.7

Latin America & Caribbean 13,161 408,692 31.1

Oceania 911 1,424 1.56

World 43,764 31,545,499 721

(World without China) 40,952 10,764,434 263

World freshwater aquaculture production

to renewable freshwater ratio (AFR).

Calculation

basis

AFR*

(tonne/km3)

World average 721

World average without China 263

World average without Asia 48.9

*To obtain the projected 2050 world freshwater

aquaculture production need, the world average AFR

would increase to 1,259 tonne/km3.

Estimates of world freshwater aquaculture production

at different freshwater aquaculture production to

renewable freshwater ratios (AFR).

Calculation

basis

Production

(million

tonne/yr)

Increase over

2009

production (%)

World average at China level

(AFR = 7,344)

321 817

World average at Asia level

(AFR = 2,409)

105 200

World average at Egypt level

(AFR = 1,138)

49.8 42.3

World average at Asia without

China level (AFR = 957)

41.9 19.7

Concerns Expressed About Aquaculture

• Destruction of mangrove, wetlands, and other

sensitive aquatic habitat by aquaculture projects;

• Conversion of agricultural land to ponds;

• Water pollution resulting from pond effluents;

• Excessive use of drugs, antibiotics, and other

chemicalsor aquatic animal disease control;

• Inefficient utilization of fish meal and other natural

resources for fish and shrimp production;

• Salinization of land and water by effluents, seepage,

and sediment from brackishwater ponds;

Concerns Expressed About Aquaculture

• Excessive use of ground water and other freshwater

supplies for filling ponds;

• Spread of aquatic animal diseases from culture of

organisms to native populations;

• Negative effects on biodiversity caused by escape of

non-native species introduced for aquaculture,

destruction of birds and other predators, and

entrainment of aquatic organisms in pumps; and

• Conflicts with other resource users and disruption of

nearby communities.