Oceans' future to 2050

Marine Aquaculture Forecast

Explore how and where marine aquaculture production will develop and meet growing demand through to 2050

Global demand for marine aquaculture

Using population growth estimates to calculate how much food will be needed up to 2050, we forecast demand for protein from animals and seaweed from marine aquaculture. We identify regions that can expect the biggest growth and levels of demand for these products, and predict the amount of seaweed required for non-food uses. We discuss the drivers behind these need-to-know trends for private and public stakeholders in the industry.

The Marine Aquaculture Forecast to 2050 considers the impact of population growth, rising living standards, average population age, and the manual labour intensity of the workforce on protein demand. In addition, we take into account how growing consumer concerns for health and sustainability influence food preferences.

We explore the following questions:

  • How much will global protein consumption increase?
  • Which region will dominate demand for marine aquaculture products?
  • How will seaweed demand increase, both for human consumption and non-food uses?
Graph: Marine aquaculture protein consumption. Download the report for the full graph.