email editor
email editor
by | Jun 16, 2026 | International Fishing News, Latest News
SOFIA 2026 reports global fisheries and aquaculture production at record 235 million tonnes, with sustainability and equity challenges.
Global fisheries and aquaculture production reached a record 235 million tonnes in 2024, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s latest State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA 2026) report.
Of this total, 195 million tonnes were aquatic animals, underlining the sector’s expanding role in global food supply. The report was launched on 16 June 2026 at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya.
Aquaculture production of aquatic animals exceeded 100 million tonnes for the first time, reaching 103 million tonnes in 2024, with a farm gate value of $371 billion.Aquaculture now accounts for 53% of total aquatic animal production and more than 59% of aquatic animal food output. Including algae, total aquaculture production reached 141 million tonnes, valued at $391 billion.
Capture fisheries production totalled around 92 million tonnes in 2024, remaining within the 86–94 million tonnes range recorded since the late 1980s, indicating a plateau in wild fish stocks.
Aquatic animal foods are playing an increasingly important role in global diets, with 89% of production used for human consumption.The sector supplies at least one-fifth of the animal protein intake of 3.1 billion people worldwide and supports more than 600 million livelihoods.
Global per capita availability of aquatic animal food averaged 21.1 kg in 2023, rising to an estimated 21.3 kg in 2024. However, significant disparities remain, with consumption in Africa at 9.1 kg per person compared to 26.3 kg in Asia.
Trade in aquatic animal products reached $184 billion, now rivalling the value of terrestrial meat trade. More than one-third of production is traded internationally.
Between 1976 and 2024, export value increased more than 23-fold, driven by higher production, improved logistics, processing capabilities and trade liberalisation.
Despite increased availability, the distribution of aquatic foods remains uneven, with developing regions lagging behind global averages.
The SOFIA 2026 report highlights growing pressures on the sector from climate change, environmental degradation, economic shocks and geopolitical developments.
Under high emissions scenarios, exploitable fish biomass is projected to decline by more than 10% by 2050 in several regions.
In the report foreword, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated that ensuring the long-term sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture is critical for future generations, stressing the need to reverse declines in ecosystem health.
FAO continues to promote its Blue Transformation roadmap for 2022–2030, focusing on sustainability, productivity and inclusiveness.
In aquaculture, this includes science-based governance, spatial planning and climate-smart systems such as rice–fish farming and integrated energy models.
For capture fisheries, efforts focus on improving governance, enhancing monitoring and combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, alongside supporting implementation of sustainable small-scale fisheries guidelines.
The report highlights notable developments across species and fisheries.
Tuna catches reached a record 9.3 million tonnes in 2024, while anchoveta landings rebounded by 109% to more than 5 million tonnes, up from 2.4 million tonnes in 2023.
Inland fisheries also reached a record 12.3 million tonnes. Overall, 72.6% of landings originated from biologically sustainable stocks.
FAO projects that total aquatic animal production will reach 214 million tonnes by 2034, with further growth expected in consumption and trade.
The report concludes that while fisheries and aquaculture are critical to global food security, addressing sustainability and equity challenges will be central to ensuring the sector’s future stability.
Disclaimer
If you have a fishing news related story call or WhatsApp Oliver on +353 83 826 8406 or email [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 – 2026 The Fishing Daily. All Rights Reserved.
Irish, UK and European Fishing and Seafood News
COMHLACHT CUMARSÁIDE AN tSÁILE TEORANTA (Saltwater Media Company Ltd)
Registered Office: No. 1 Áras Ros Goill, Na Dúnaibh, Ros Goill, Co. Donegal, Ireland. F92 RX8C
IRL VAT No: IE3718993GH IRL Company Reg No: 681474
Sitemap | Terms & Conditions
