The global consumption of fish and shellfish has doubled on the planet in the last fifty years, reaching 22.3 kilos per capita, according to data from the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC, for its acronym in English). In the case of the European Union, each citizen eats an annual average of 27 kilos of hake, sea bass, tuna, sardines and other seafood. We Spaniards go for that amount, and we love that it is fresh: 44.5% of the fish we eat is, although its consumption has fallen slightly in recent years. The leaders are the Portuguese, who eat 61.5 kilos per head.
Good for us, bad for the fish
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that ” the percentage of populations exploited at biologically unsustainable levels grew from 10% in 1974 to 33% in 2015. ” By regions, the ones that present a bleaker outlook for edible marine species are the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (with 62% unsustainable populations), followed by the Southeast Pacific, with 61.5%, and the Southwest Atlantic ( 59%).
Such a level of catches is unsustainable in the long term. And the problem is not solved by regulating local fishing, because the ocean does not understand borders. An international agreement is required. To clarify the state of the matter, the JRC has prepared the report World Consumption Footprint of Seafood Products, which includes production, consumption and imports. Their data indicates that global demand for fish destined for human consumption was 144 million tons in 2011, with China leading the way (65 million tons per year), followed by the European Union (13 million tons).
The funny thing is that, according to the doctors, we should take more fish. The WHO reports that two-thirds of the world’s population eat less than two servings a week, which is the healthy minimum. Research recently published in the Journal of Internal Medicine maintains that consuming it contributes to the reduction of mortality in men and women affected by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, among others.
