We need to farm more fish, says EU chief
EUROPEAN Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella has expressed his determination to support and develop aquaculture within the EU.
He said that fish farming within Europe was starting to emerge from stagnation and it was now time to help it expand.
‘Forty years ago, the famous French commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau stated: ‘We must plant the sea and herd its animals, using the sea as farmers instead of hunters’,’ said Vella.
‘His vision is now becoming reality. In 2014, for the first time in history, humans consumed more farmed than wild caught fish. And this is just the beginning; the world population is forecast to reach 10 billion people by 2050 and demand for protein is expected to grow by 70 per cent. This will create an increasing appetite for ocean derived food. Seafood is not only very healthy but, in some parts of the world, essential to fighting hunger and malnutrition. If we are to get more seafood, it has to come from farming. After more than a decade of stagnation, it is encouraging that EU aquaculture is finally starting to grow again.’