INFOFISH- Intergovernmental Organization providing marketing information and technical advisory services to the fishery industry of the Asia-Pacific region and beyond from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Editorial

INFOFISH INTERNATIONAL

January / February 2012

EDITORIAL

Editor-in-Chief
Muhammad Ayub

Prospects for fisheries in 2012

Current trends in the market show that 2012 will see an overall increased demand for fish, while prices will also continue to rise, in spite of the economic slowdown and speculation of depressed demand from the EU. FAO statistics predict that the per capita fish consumption will continue to increase from the present 17.1 kg to reach 17.9 kg in 2020. Another interesting projection is the disproportionate rise in prices of fish from capture and aquaculture, fish from aquaculture registering a higher price increase compared to fish from capture fisheries.

New technologies and new commodities will continue to play a role in the sustenance and growth in production and development of new fish products. Energy efficient processing and freezing units, new species like cobia, a fast growing fish in culture, trials and experiments on tuna production in captivity, etc are some of the new promising technologies to enhance aquaculture production. Similarly, increased production of sea weeds will add to the overall growth of aquaculture. Aquaculture production is expected to become the third largest protein producing industry after poultry and pork and is expected to reach 80 million mt by 2020. The growth in the sector is expected due to the fast rate of technological advances taking place in animal husbandry, breeding and genetics, and feed formulation, including work on animal protein substitution with protein of plant origin in feed.

Fish trade, which has already surpassed US$ 100 billion, will continue to grow, with species such as tilapia, pangasius and vannamei shrimp taking a bigger share. Investment in the aquaculture production and processing sectors is showing a growing trend, while the capture production industry is showing consolidation. New investment opportunities in the form of Aquaculture Parks, where all the major requisite facilities are provided on a turnkey basis, will add a new dimension in investment promotion in this sector. Investment in the processing sector is increasing as well, with some processors opting for vertical integration in all segments of the value chain.

INFOFISH will continue to update its readers about market trends, technological developments and other facets of the fisheries sector. A new series focusing on the fishery profiles of individual countries is being introduced in INFOFISH International, beginning with INFOFISH member countries. The series will highlight the strengths of the fisheries sector in these countries, the current production, trade, status and development trends of the industry.

Editor-in-Chief