Page 52 - FAO Aquaculture News, May 2021 - No. 63

Thematic

Articles

©FAO/J.E. Basco

Conservation of Farmed Aquatic Species:

an Opportunity We Must Not Miss!

onservation of biodiversity is critical, as no amount harvested for human food, which totalled 7 621 assessed
Cof technological or scientific progress can eliminate species. This number of species is much greater than the
humankind’s dependence on nature for our collective number of species known to be harvested from capture
livelihood and well-being. However, in recent decades, fisheries (~1 800) and/or used in aquaculture (~700)
it has become undeniable that we are living in times of because it essentially includes all aquatic species that are
severe global biodiversity crises and that anthropogenic harvested as food but do not necessarily form recognized
activities are the main cause of habitat deterioration and fisheries. The analysis identified that 1 553 (20 percent)
biodiversity decline. This article examines the status of of these 7 621 species are assigned to one of the “extinct
aquatic biodiversity with a focus on species used for food or at risk” categories, specifically: 27 species are classified
and agriculture. as Extinct, 2 as Extinct in the Wild, 289 as Critically
Endangered, 395 as Endangered, 501 as Vulnerable, and
In the preparation of the report on The State of the World’s 339 as Near Threatened. It was, however, not feasible to
Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (SoW- determine if these proportions could be extrapolated and
AqGR), we noted that, based on the country reports considered to be representative of the species recorded by
1
from 92 countries, the wild relatives of all farmed species FAO as fished and/or farmed. Given this limitation and the
still exist in the wild (extant). Taken at face value this fact that the conservation status of farmed aquatic species
is a positive finding, suggesting that diversity of aquatic and their wild relatives, also referred to as aquatic genetic
species may not yet be seriously threatened and that the resources (AqGR), is even less well understood than for
status of aquatic diversity may be more secure than for fishery stocks, we decided to conduct a more in-depth
species used in terrestrial agriculture. analysis to identify the status of risk of only aquaculture
species within the IUCN Red List, and also to examine
The website of the Red List of the International Union for which of these species are addressed by the Convention
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) enables users to conduct on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
2
advanced searches and to filter species using a range of Fauna and Flora (CITES). 3
search options. In this context, however, it is not possible
to search only species used in aquaculture and fisheries The subset of aquaculture species targeted in our analysis
(or indeed for food production systems in general), so were the species for which FAO Members reported
we filtered those aquatic species that are listed as being regular production statistics in 2018 and those species
reported for the first time in the country reports submitted
Written by: for the preparation of the SoW-AqGR. The analysis of a
Daniela Lucente total of 441 species (see Table 1) showed that 10 percent
E-mail: Daniela.Lucente@fao.org of those that had been evaluated are listed as under threat
Sebastian Sims (Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). A
E-mail: Sebastian.Sims@btinternet.com further 16 species (3.5 percent) are classified as Near
Gao Lei Threatened.
E-mail: Leopoldgao@outlook.com
Graham Mair
E-mail: Graham.Mair@fao.org 1. www.fao.org/3/CA5256EN/CA5256EN.pdf
FAO Fisheries Division, Rome, Italy 2. https://www.iucnredlist.org
3. https://cites.org/eng

FAO AQUACULTURE NEWS – Nº. 63 ■ MAY 2021 51