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Africa's Fish Production Crisis

The Center's call for investment in small-scale aquaculture in Africa comes amid concern over falling fish supplies on the continent, where more than one-third of the population is undernourished.

While sub-Saharan Africa has the world's lowest per capita fish consumption, more than 200 million Africans eat fish regularly. The FAO estimates that fresh, dried, salted or powdered fish provides 22 per cent of the protein intake in the region.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the only world region where fish consumption is actually falling. "The main reason for this decline is the stagnation in capture fish production combined with a fast-growing population," says WorldFish Center Deputy Director-General Patrick Dugan.

The situation also threatens one of Africa's leading sources of export revenue, with an annual value of US$ 2.7 billion.

Dr. Dugan notes that aquaculture, which has grown explosively in other regions, now provides 38% of fish production worldwide but less than 2% in sub-Saharan Africa.

The WorldFish Center warns that simply maintaining today's per capita fish supply in sub-Saharan Africa (6.6 kg/year) requires a 20% increase in production within 10 years and a 32% increase within 15 years (2020). Given the minimal additional potential of capture fisheries, though, aquaculture will need to provide most of the production increase.

Exploiting just 5% of the entire continent's estimated aquaculture potential could allow Africa to meet those targets, according to the analyses. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, aquaculture is currently so sparsely developed that an estimated 260% expansion in fish production from aquaculture there is needed by 2020 to maintain per capita consumption levels.

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