(The Fish Site).- Aquaculture needs to expand to "help bridge the growing gap between what the capture fisheries can supply and the growing global demand for fisheries products".

The demand comes from a new GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) report which analyses the environmental impacts of coastal aquaculture globally.

By 2050, global aquaculture needs to expand to 80 million tonnes (from its current 62.9 million tonnes) just to maintain the current level of per capita consumption the report records from an FAO report in 2004.

With any human activity, zero environmental change is unattainable. The 212 page report develops the process for assessing acceptable levels of change in balance with the expected benefits.

The report comes from GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection) Working Group on Environmental Impacts of Coastal Aquaculture in collaboration with experts of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s (ICES) Working Group on Environmental Interactions of Mariculture.

Source: http://www.thefishsite.com