Global salmon farming on the rise – ISFA

GLOBAL salmon production is increasing rapidly, both in scope and in the number of jobs it is creating, reports the industry organisation Seafood Norway. And it is also continuing to develop at a sustainable rate.
Seafood Norway cites the latest figures from the International Salmon Farmers\’ Association (ISFA) which show an annual output equivalent to 17.5 billion salmon meals, produced by a workforce of 132,000 people in coastal communities around the world.
ISFA has recently launched a new report entitled Sustaining Communities and Feeding in connection with the World Day of the Sea.
ISFA president Trond Davidsen said: \’There is no doubt that world salmon production is becoming increasingly important.
\’This report gives us the opportunity to point out the role of salmon production in the debate around a sustainable sea. The number of aquaculture growers increases in a world where the ocean is still being pointed out as an important source of food production. Salmon production gives minimal footprint.\’
The report shows that aquaculture producers generate 17.5 billion meals a year from just 0.00008 per cent of the world\’s oceans. In addition, the annual value of production is over $15 billion.
Davidsen said that whether you eat salmon smoked, grilled or in sushi, it is most likely to have been produced by an ISFA member.
The report points to developments in aquaculture production in recent years, as well as the challenges posed by an ever increasing population and the need for new innovative methods to produce food.
ISFA launched its first global report in 2015, which that year showed an annual output of 14.8 billion meals and a value of $10 billion. Since then the number of jobs in the industry has risen by more than 10,000.