Fish Farming Overtakes Wild Fishing: A Global Turning Point

For centuries, the oceans were humanity’s main source of seafood. From small fishing villages to massive industrial fleets, wild catches fed families and drove economies. But in 2022, history was made. According to the FAO SOFIA 2024 report, for the first time in history, aquaculture (fish farming) produced more aquatic animals than were harvested from the wild. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aquaculture output in 2022 reached 94.4 million tonnes, overtaking the 91 million tonnes from capture fisheries. In total, global aquatic animal production hit a record 185 million tonnes that year. Farmed fish accounted for more than half of the world’s supply, and when looking only at food for people, aquaculture delivered nearly 60 percent. The balance has shifted permanently: the future of seafood is farm-grown.