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ROME,

AFP

Overexploitation of the world's fisheries resources as well as contamination caused by microplastics at sea are among the greatest challenges for the future of the sector, according to a report released on Monday in Rome by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"By 2030, the combined production of capture fisheries and aquaculture will reach 201 million tonnes," FAO calculates in the report for 2018 on "The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture". aquaculture (SOFIA).

This production corresponds to an 18% increase over the current level, which is 171 million tonnes

This growth, which has increased the consumption of fish on all continents to reach 20.4 kg per inhabitant 2016, against a little less than 10 kg per capita in the 1960s, requires medi "We must reduce the percentage of fish stocks taken beyond biological sustainability," warned FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

also on the need to reduce losses and waste, to combat illegal fishing as well as the pollution of aquatic environments and climate change.

According to the study, the amount of fish caught in the wild has stabilized since the 1990s, and has remained largely stable since then.

The world is largely fueled by the production of aquaculture, a sector that has developed rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s. [19659004] According to the most recent figures of the year, As a specialized United Nations entity, in 2016 aquaculture production reached 80 million tonnes, contributing 53% of all fish destined for human consumption, particularly in Africa.

However, 33.1% of the fishery is at "biologically unsustainable" levels, which FAO experts consider "worrying".

Microplastics at Sea

According to the study, "significant" changes are expected in the places or countries where they are fished, especially in tropical ones, due to a series of factors .

"It is likely that catches are declining in many tropical areas dependent on fishing and increasing in the northern temperate zones," FAO says, badyzing the "disturbing" effects of climate change and climate change. Pollution

"Special attention should be paid to problems such as leftover fishing gear and contamination that microplastics cause in aquatic ecosystems," warns the entity.

"Priority must be given to preventive measures that reduce marine litter and microplastics icos Efforts must be made to update plans for the recycling and phase-out of single-use plastics", urged FAO

The fisheries and aquaculture sector employs 59.6 million people worldwide, 14% of whom are women, while the largest producer and exporter of fish is China.

The largest consumers are the European Union (EU), the United States and Japan.