A total of 262 fish, crustacean, and mollusc species representing the most important animals used in aquaculture worldwide are listed in a recent survey. Although not all aquatic organisms are suitable for culture, the variety of cultured species is still increasing. Since the 1970s, global aquaculture production has grown rapidly, and is now the fastest growing food production sector in many countries. The majority of the latter aquaculture production comes from land-based freshwater culture, and in some countries it exceeds that from freshwater capture fisheries. Responsible aquaculture development for the next millennium.
China is the dominant producer, followed by India, the Philippines and Indonesia.
However, in relation to the potential for the development of aquaculture in these regions, aquaculture production is still marginal. Freshwater finfish account for the greatest share of world aquaculture production. Here, Chinese carpraised in pond aquaculture are harvested for sale in the markets of Canton, China. Among other factors, the growing world population has placed a heavy demand on capture fisheries, to the extent that many fish stocks are overexploited, or have even collapsed, and are no longer able to satisfy our growing needs. To those most in need, access to fish and fishery products is decreasing as diminishing supplies elevate market prices above their purchasing power.