Reviewing the Global Aquatic Food Production and Trade: A Review

Aquaculture has become an increasingly important factor in food security and economic development worldwide, providing cheap protein sources to people across continents. Countries like China, India and Vietnam have increasingly relied on aquaculture not only for food security but also for foreign currency. A targeted keyword search (aquaculture, aquatic trade, blue economy, sustainability and inland and marine aquaculture) was conducted to identify pertinent studies, alongside secondary data extraction. Statistics and trade data were obtained from the FAO, the UN Statistics Division and UN Comtrade. With the increasing adoption and emphasis on the Blue Economy, aquatic food systems have become closely associated with global trade and have consequently attracted diverse investment and technological improvements. Improvements in hatchery technology, feed and aquaculture farming techniques have enabled increased production and greater diversity in species supplied to markets around the world. On the flip side, changes in consumer demand for food sources worldwide have increasingly made it important to establish diverse supply chains. This paper discusses trends in aquatic food sources by examining trade flows in aquatic foods.