A new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) claims that genetic improvements in aquaculture will lead to better food security.

The ‘State of the World’s Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture’ reviews the use of aquatic genetic resources both in capture fisheries and in aquaculture in areas under national jurisdiction.

The first-ever global report of its kind is based on information provided by 92 countries, together representing 96% of global aquaculture production and over 80% of capture fisheries production.

Aquaculture is lagging far behind terrestrial agriculture in terms of the characterisation, domestication and improvement of its genetic resources for food production, the FAO said.

It concludes that we can significantly enhance sustainable aquaculture production through the strategic management and development of some of the more than 550 species currently used in aquaculture.

According to the report, we are still largely farming wild fish, with 45% of cultured species being little different from their wild counterparts.

The report also notes that just over half of the reporting countries consider that genetic improvement is having a significant impact on their aquaculture production, in contrast with the extensive use of improved breeds and varieties in livestock and crop production.

The report stresses the potential for sustainable production gains through the genetic improvement of farmed aquatic resources.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said the report “highlights the pressures that a growing demand for fish and fish products will place on farmed species, their wild relatives, and the habitats they depend on, as well as the opportunities for sustainable growth.

“This is why it is crucial that we safeguard, manage and further develop the planet’s aquatic genetic resources, allowing organisms to grow, to adapt to natural and human-induced impacts such as climate change, to resist diseases and parasites, and to continue to evolve to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and our continued fight for a Zero Hunger world.”

The report notes that all farmed species still have wild relatives in nature but many of these wild species are under threat and are in need of targeted and prioritised conservation. The report calls on countries to develop policies and actions to address this need.

According to the report, the most depleted wild relatives of cultured species are Russian sturgeon, huchen, beluga sturgeon, Atlantic salmon and brown trout.

The report also notes the potential impacts of escapes including of non-native species, from aquaculture farms, on biodiversity and ecosystems, and calls for the responsible exchange and use of native and non-native aquatic genetic resources.

At the request of FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, a voluntary and collaborative policy response is already under development to address the gaps and needs identified in the report.

FAO member countries will review and negotiate this response prior to its adoption as a Global Plan of Action for the conservation, sustainable use and development of aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture.