ABSTRACT
There is growing recognition that global food system transformation is needed, but aquaculture is often overlooked. Aquaculture is the fastest growing animal food production sector of recent decades, increasing 5%–7% annually.
This chapter reveals how intensive systems are increasing, with more and more wild fishes used to feed farmed carnivorous species. It reveals how aquatic food production often damages and pollutes the environment and causes suffering to aquatic animals, since they are sentient beings. Each year, an estimated 1.1–2.2 trillion fishes suffer from the inhumane capture and killing practices of commercial fisheries, and a further 78–171 billion fishes are farmed. In intensive farms, animals are subject to high stocking densities, barren environments, stressful handling and transport and inhumane slaughter. Many aquaculture innovations focus on ways to further intensify production and do not properly address environmental and animal welfare issues.
The authors recommend that, in future, aquaculture should refocus on regenerative, high welfare farming of species that are low in the food chain and have a positive effect on the environment.
Aquatic foods are interconnected with the rest of the food system and must be part of global food system transformation.
