FAO Adopts New Guidelines to Promote Sustainable Aquaculture

The 36th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI36) adopted a series of guidelines for sustainable aquaculture. This marked a significant step toward enhancing global food security and improving livelihoods within the aquaculture value chain.

The Committee on Fisheries is the largest global gathering of policymakers, experts, and partners in the fishing and aquaculture sector. In this forum, FAO members review and provide policy recommendations and advice at the global level to governments, regional fishery bodies, civil society organizations, private sector stakeholders, and the international community.

The document, Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture, published by the Committee, aims to contribute to global food security and improve the livelihoods of those involved in the aquaculture value chain, including small farmers and marginalized groups. "The adoption of these guidelines is essential to ensuring sustainable development that benefits both present and future generations," explained José Aguilar-Manjarrez, Aquaculture Officer, FAO.

The guidelines were drafted through an inclusive consultation process at the request of FAO members and in accordance with Art. 9 of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. "Members seek a shared understanding and clear direction for developing sustainable aquaculture in their countries," stated Matthias Halwart, Senior Aquaculture Officer, FAO. 

According to the document, the guidelines developed by the committee are divided in seven categories:

1. Governance and Planning

2. Sustainable use of resources and sustainable management of ecosystems and operations

3. Social responsibility, decent work, and gender equality

4. Value chains, market access, and trade

5. Mechanisms and services necessary to support the development of sustainable aquaculture

6. Implementation provisions and technical support

7. Monitoring, data collection and analysis, and reporting

The goal of the guidelines is for countries to use them as a guide to transform their aquaculture activities, presenting a comprehensive and adaptable framework designed to address the challenges posed by the rapid growth of the aquaculture sector and support its sustainable expansion and intensification. "In practice, this could mean enacting new legislation to promote restorative aquaculture in a degraded habitat, offering incentives for the industry to decarbonize its production cycle, or launching a government program to connect rural women and youth with aquaculture farms," stated KwangSuk Oh, FAO Senior Fisheries Officer.

The 2024 edition of the report The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) reported global fish and aquaculture production of 223.2Mt in 2022, representing an increase of 4.4% compared to 2020. Moreover, for the first time, aquaculture surpassed capture fisheries as the main producer of aquatic animals. At the continental level, Latin America and the Caribbean recorded 4.3Mt of aquaculture production, accounting for approximately 3.3% of the global total. In Mexico, the main aquaculture species are shrimp with 261,958t and tilapia with 101,749t, with the main producing states being Sinaloa and Nayarit.

Aquatic foods constitute 17% of the animal protein consumed in the world, according to FAO data from 2022. Given the increasing consumption of such foods, it is imperative to promote the development of sustainable aquaculture to ensure ecosystem security and foster healthy diets. "Sustainable aquaculture involves generating adaptation measures to climate change, developing better strategies for interaction with aquatic biodiversity and waste management, and implementing aquaculture farms designed around the concept of circularity," underscored Graham Mair, FAO Senior Fisheries Officer.