A research by WorldFish, an international non-profit research organisation, has revealed that about 76 million jobs could be generated by 2050 through the adequate exploitation of aquaculture.
The research document released in Abuja at a stakeholders workshop on the development of WorldFish research programme in Nigeria said the opportunities would be provided mostly in developing countries.
It stated that with the projected increase in global population by 2050, the global annual fish consumption rate would also increase.
About 94 million hectares of land is being used for fish production in Nigeria, with 1,477,651 people involved in fishing activities in the country, the report said.
The annual fish production in the country was about one million tonnes with the aquaculture producing 313,231 tonnes while local fishing produced about 759,828 tonnes.
It explained that fish was an important part of household diet making up to 40 percent protein intake in the country with a consumption rate of 13.3 kilogramme per person yearly.
The report specifically notes: ‘‘Eight hundred million people depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods in the world. The very poor often rely on fishing as a primary source of income and are particularly vulnerable when fish stocks decline.
‘‘Increased productivity from sustainable fisheries and aquaculture can be a driver for rural development by mitigating risks to livelihoods and contributing to income generation and employment.
‘‘Significant improvements inequitable management, technologies, farming systems and value chains are needed to increase production and economic returns in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible,’’ it said.
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