Status Of Aquaculture In China

Fish have been a major component of our diet and it has been suggested that fish/seafood consumption contributed to the development of the human brain, and this together with the acquisition of bipedalism, perhaps made us what we are. In the modern context global fish consumption is increasing. However, unlike our other staples, until a few years back the greater proportion of our fish supplies were of a hunted origin. This scenario is changing and a greater proportion of fish we consume now is of farmed origin. Aquaculture, the farming of waters, is thought to have originated in China, many millennia ago. Nevertheless, it transformed into a major food sector only since the second half of the last century, and continues to forge ahead, primarily in the developing world. China leads the global aquaculture production in volume, in the number of species that are farmed, and have contributed immensely to transforming the practices from an art to a science. This book attempts to capture some of the key elements and practices that have contributed to the success of Chinese aquaculture. The book entails contributions from over 100 leading experts in China, and provides insights into some aquaculture practices that are little known to the rest of the world. This book will be essential reading for aquaculturists, practitioners, researchers and students, and planners and developers.

Fish have been a major component of our diet and it has been suggested that fish/seafood consumption contributed to the development of the human brain, and this together with the acquisition of bipedalism, perhaps made us what we are. In the modern context global fish consumption is increasing. However, unlike our other staples, until a few years back the greater proportion of our fish supplies were of a hunted origin. This scenario is changing and a greater proportion of fish we consume now is of farmed origin. Aquaculture, the farming of waters, is thought to have originated in China, many millennia ago. Nevertheless, it transformed into a major food sector only since the second half of the last century, and continues to forge ahead, primarily in the developing world. China leads the global aquaculture production in volume, in the number of species that are farmed, and have contributed immensely to transforming the practices from an art to a science. This book attempts to capture some of the key elements and practices that have contributed to the success of Chinese aquaculture. The book entails contributions from over 100 leading experts in China, and provides insights into some aquaculture practices that are little known to the rest of the world. This book will be essential reading for aquaculturists, practitioners, researchers and students, and planners and developers.

This report was prepared withing the framework of the FAO Fisheries Department's continued efforts to contribute to poverty alleviation and hunger reduction in developing countries through aquaculture development. It seeks to analyse the reasons and factors, especially the role of public sector policies, which were behind aquaculture development in China. The aim is to make the Chinese experience available to other parts of the world, especially developing countries, to enable these countries to evaluate ways whereby they could benefit from this experience of sustainable and lucrative aquaculture practices. The report discusses valuable lessons that can be learned from the Chinese experience.

This document contains the papers presented at the Consultation on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Development which was organized jointly by FAO and NACA and held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, from March 29-31,1999 in order to develop the detailed structure of a regional program on aquaculture for sustainable rural development and to propose a strategy for its implementation. The consultation took an overview of the relevant information emerging from the presentations of country reports; lessons learned by specific projects; experiences of regional and international organizations and donor agencies; and findings of expert reviews. More sharply focused examination of critical issues and discussions on specific components of the draft program concept were followed through parallel working group discussions. The outputs of the working groups were further discussed during the concluding plenary. Finally, a detailed Program Framework on Aquaculture for Sustainable Rural Livelihood Development was conceived through consensus to serve as guiding principles for the formation of the program.--Publisher's description.

This document contains nine FAO commissioned papers on cage aquaculture including a global overview, one country review for China, and seven regional reviews for Asia (excluding China), northern Europe, the Mediterranean, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, northern America and Oceania. The content of the papers is based on the broad experience and sound knowledge of the authors with advice and help received from many experts and reviewers around the globe. The papers were presented to a distinguished audience of some 300 participants from over 25 countries during the FAO Special Session on Cage Aquaculture - Regional Reviews and Global Overview at the Asian Fisheries Society (AFS) Second International Symposium on Cage Aquaculture in Asia (CAA2), held in Hangzhou, China, from 3 to 8 July 2006.