 In 1994 the Chinese represented 21.5% of
the global population but produced over 57% of global aquaculture harvests.
The Chinese capture fishing industry is relatively small only it contributing
11.1% of the total world catch.(FAO, 1996) In the past
five years, China's per capita seafood consumption (whole weight) has doubled
to 20 kilograms per year (for comparison, Japanese per capita consumption
is 72 kilos, while US per capita consumption is 21 kilos). If China's consumption
doubles again in the next 10 years, it would require an additional seafood
supply of 24 million metric tons- about 30% of the world,s current edible
seafood supply! As labor costs in countries like Japan and Korea continue
to increase, more secondary processing of items like salmon and shrimp is
being shifted to China. (Peter Redmayne, 6/,96)
Throughout China, the booming aquaculture industry now employs 10 million
people. And there well probably be a lot more jobs to come. In Shandong
Province alone, aquaculture production is more than 3 million tons- more
than half of the total US seafood production. And it is growing at a rate
of at least 20 percent a year. |