Facts Aquaculture
From time immemorial, people have sought out and enjoyed foods that appeal to the senses and the palate. Those who know food realise that seafood is not only flavourful, but also good for you.
| Top ten countries in aquaculture production of aquatic animals in 2004 | ||
| Production | Percent of world total | |
| Country | (tonnes) | |
| China | 30 614 968 | 67.3% |
| India | 2 472 335 | 5.4% |
| Viet Nam | 1 198 617 | 2.6% |
| Thailand | 1 172 866 | 2.6% |
| Indonesia | 1 045 051 | 2.3% |
| Bangladesh | 914 752 | 2.0% |
| Japan | 776 421 | 1.7% |
| Chile | 674 979 | 1.5% |
| Norway | 637 993 | 1.4% |
| USA | 606 549 | 1.3% |
| Rest of world | 5 353 825 | 11.8 |
| Total | 45 468 356 | 100.0 |
| Note: Includes fish, crustaceans, aolluscs and amphibians | ||
Nutritious and easily digestible, seafood is one of the essential foods in a balanced diet.
So it comes as no surprise that a leader of seafood consumption, Japan, and a leader of seafood exports, Norway, also have two of the world's longest life expectancies, 81 years (ranked first) and 79 (10th) respectively.
Whilst people have always known seafood is healthy for you, reports over the years have continuously confirmed this idea. In fact, a large and growing body of scientific data has recently noted that the health benefits of seafood go well beyond the scope of our earlier understanding.
These global studies repeatedly point to the importance of omega-3 fatty acids, found in large quantities in seafood and in insignificant amounts in beef, poultry and many other foods.
Omega-3 has been linked to decreasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrest due to an irregular heartbeat, as well as encouraging brain growth in babies and reducing inflammation related to arthritis and asthma. In particular, two studies are of interest because of their potential medical applications.
A thesis presented in October of 2002 by Hilde Heimli at the Institute for Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo in Norway concluded that polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils and fatty fish can destroy parts of certain types of cancer cells, making the cells die.
This study, supported by the Norwegian Cancer Society, lends insight into the possible role omega-3 fatty acids play in the reduced risk of certain forms of cancer such as breast, prostate, lung and colon. Of the three types of omega-3 fatty acids, two (eicosapentenoic and docosahexenoic) are found in seafood-especially cold-water fish and seafood-whilst the third (alpha-linolenic) is found in tofu, soybean, and canola oil and nuts.
Find more information about the different farmed species here: Species
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