Development
A comprehensive review of aquaculture development trends to the year 2000 is provided by the various contributions included in Part IV – Aquaculture Development Trends of the 2001 landmark publication Aquaculture in the Third Millennium (Subasinghe et al. 2001).
It is generally accepted that while the global potential for marine capture fisheries has been reached, global aquaculture production will continue to grow, in terms of both quantity and its relative contribution to the world’s supply of fish for direct human consumption. Aquaculture development is thus in the process of achieving the full potential of the aquaculture sector.
This development includes ecological, technological and socio-economic dimensions such as ethical considerations (Related information is available in the Issues Section). The focus of development trends and activities may be directed towards improving the well-being of the people engaged in the aquaculture sector which, in addition to fishfarmers, includes processors, traders and others directly working in, and dependent on, the sector.
As global aquaculture matures and its potential to expand into new geographic areas is reduced in some regions of the world, the emphasis in aquaculture development strategies has begun to shift from increasing production to establishing a more sustainable and optimal use of the available resources. In aquaculture’s path to development, during the 1950s to the 1990s technology development, intensification and larger harvests were emphasized. Concern for environmental management and sustainability appeared essentially during the 1990s. For aquaculture, a shift is occurring towards more area-based management, particularly for water management and disease control. This means that effective and ecosystem-based management of aquaculture is essential to achieving its long-term development.
