Continuous growth has characterized fish production over the past five decades, with an emphasis on fish production for human consumption. Fish consumption increases from year to year and improved storage methods make it possible for fresh fish to enter more and more markets and access to it will be better. This is certainly an opportunity for Icelanders.
Fish production for human consumption has increased by an average of 3.2% per year in recent decades, while population growth has reached 1.9%. Consumption of fish is also steadily increasing, as in 1960 the average consumption was 9.9 kg per year but in 2012 the fish consumption had doubled and the average consumption was 19.2 kg worldwide.
The reason for the increased consumption of fish is due to improved storage methods, which make it possible to distribute fresh fish over a larger area than has previously been possible. The growing middle class has also had a say, as it is accompanied by higher average wages and urbanization, both of which have an effect on fish consumption. Fish consumption is on average higher in the developed countries of the world, as it is more dependent on location and seasonal fluctuations elsewhere. It is estimated that 16.7% of the animal protein consumed in the world is from fish, which indicates that fish consumption will increase even further in the future.
Fish production will undoubtedly contribute to this development as aquaculture has grown by an average of 6.2% per year from 2000 to 2012 or from 32.4 million tonnes to 66.6 million tonnes. Only 15 countries carry 92.7% of world fish production. The largest producers are China and India, as well as Brazil and Vietnam. This huge increase in aquaculture has created millions of jobs and in 2012, 4.4% of all those working in agriculture in the world worked in aquaculture, 90% of fish processing workers in the world are women. The FAO estimates that fisheries and aquaculture provide 10-12% of the world's livelihoods.
China is by far the largest fish exporter in the world today and the third largest importer after the United States and Japan. The European Union, on the other hand, is the largest market for imported fish and fishery-related products. Developing countries have been hit hard by the recent weather, with fish exports accounting for 54% of all fish exports in 2012.
According to the FAO, China's 14 million people work in the fishing industry, representing 25% of all those working in the industry worldwide. Since 1995, however, the number of people working in the industry worldwide has decreased significantly, despite the fact that more and more is being produced through mechanization, which has led to efficiency. This is also true in Iceland, where the number of fish processing jobs has decreased by 30% from 1995 - 2012. In Japan, the number of jobs in industry has decreased by 42% in and by 49% in Norway. This is due to improved production processes and technological advances that have largely replaced manpower.
But despite some declines in the number of employees in the industry in recent years, it is clear that the opportunities are there if the will is there, as there is no indication that fish consumption will do anything but increase in the coming years. In this connection, it is worth noting that the focus on the earth's bioeconomics fisheries-related activities can take advantage of that attention for growth, especially in countries where the raw material is procured in a sustainable manner and its processing is in accordance with social responsibility requirements. opportunity.
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For further information Arnljótur Bjarki Bergsson at Matís.