Several decades ago, the efforts of public administrations were concentrated on developing fisheries and aquaculture and ensuring growth in production and consumption. Then, in the 1980s, as many resources became fully or overexploited, the attention of policy-makers began to focus instead on fisheries management, in addition to development of aquaculture. Subsequent recognition of the many failures in management have now led FAO member countries and other relevant stakeholders to broaden the approach and governance, that is, the sum of the legal, social, economic and political arrangements used to manage fisheries and aquaculture in a sustainable manner is currently seen as a necessary context for management and is becoming the main concern. Aquaculture continues to expand, while marine capture fisheries - when summed together worldwide - seem to have reached a ceiling. Reflecting the growing importance of aquaculture, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture ends with a discussion of the challenges that aquaculture is facing as well as of the opportunities that are open to the sector. The discussion is based on a prospective analysis of the aquaculture sector worldwide, which was undertaken by FAO in the past two years. [Includes the fourth edition of the FAO World Fisheries and Aquaculture Atlas CD-ROM, a comprehensive and global view of marine and inland caputre fisheries and aquaculture (available in English)]

Aquaculture is developing, expanding and intensifying in almost all regions of the world, except in sub-Saharan Africa. Although the sector appears to be capable of meeting the gap between future demand and supply for aquatic food, there are many constraints and challenges which must be addressed in order to at least maintain the present level of per capita consumption at the global level. Key issues are the need for enhanced enforcement of regulation and better governance of the sector, as well as greater producer participation in the decision-making and regulation process. This publication examines past trends in aquaculture development as well as the current global status, drawing on a number of national and regional reviews.

Annotation Confirms a number of recent global supply & demand trends.

Against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, this issue of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture highlights the major role and challenges facing fisheries and aquaculture worldwide. With a steadily rising demand for fish and fish products, the supply of fish as human food hit a record high in 2008, underlining its significance in contributing to food security and nutrition as a source of high-quality, affordable animal protein in particular. International trade in fish also topped previous values, pointing to the sector's continued important contribution to economic expansion and human well-being. Aquaculture, despite a falling growth rate in recent years, remains the fastest-growing animal-food-producing sector and is set to overtake capture fisheries as a source of food fish. Overall production of the sector continues to grow. This publication analyses and reviews the latest available global statistics and trends in fisheries and aquaculture. It explores the important, yet often underestimated, role of inland fisheries, particularly in many small communities where they make a vital contribution to poverty alleviation and livelihood security. A broader look at the issues affecting fisheries and aquaculture emphasizes the growing need to focus on the many facets of policy and governance and examines the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, quality certification and product traceability on the sector. Also published in Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circulars Global aquaculture production in 2015 reached 106 million tonnes, with an estimated value of US$163 billion, although the average annual growth rate of world aquatic animal production slowed to 6.4 percent in the period 2001–2015. Bringing together information from six regional reviews, this report examines how the aquaculture sector has performed over the past five years and draws lessons for ensuring sustainable growth and expansion in the years ahead.

This United Nations report examines the current state of knowledge of the world's oceans, for policymakers, and provides a reference for marine science courses.

Elements of Physical Oceanography is a derivative of the Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd Edition and serves as an important reference on current physical oceanography knowledge and expertise in one convenient and accessible source. Its selection of articles--all written by experts in their field--focuses on ocean physics, air-sea transfers, waves, mixing, ice, and the processes of transfer of properties such as heat, salinity, momentum and dissolved gases, within and into the ocean. Elements of Physical Oceanography serves as an ideal reference for topical research. References related articles in physical oceanography to facilitate further research Richly illustrated with figures and tables that aid in understanding key concepts Includes an introductory overview and then explores each topic in detail, making it useful to experts and graduate-level researchers Topical arrangement makes it the perfect desk reference