World’s Blue Food Demand  Set To Double By 2050 : WEF

The World Economic Forum says surging seafood demand will put aquaculture at the heart of global food security, as Canada wrestles with the on-the-ground reality of its planned phase-out of ocean salmon farms in British Columbia.

By Fabian Dawson
SeaWestNews

Global demand for “blue food” such as fish, shellfish and algae is expected to roughly double by 2050, a surge that is pushing aquaculture into the centre of the world’s food security debate and sharpening questions about how seafood can be produced sustainably and fairly.

The projection, drawn from the Blue Food Assessment and highlighted in a World Economic Forum analysis this week, comes as wild fish stocks remain near capacity, meaning most of the growth in seafood supply will need to come from farming rather than capture fisheries.

The sustainability of future seafood consumption, the authors argue, will depend heavily on which species are farmed, where production occurs, and how it is regulated.

The WEF analysis points to signs of progress, including research indicating that between 1997 and 2017 the amount of wild fish used to produce a kilogram of farmed fish declined by 85%, reflecting improvements in feed efficiency and industry practices.

The authors also emphasize that aquaculture’s role in food security is not just about production volume, but about nutrition and equity.

They note that more than 2,500 aquatic species or species groups are harvested or cultivated for food, creating opportunities to shift consumption toward lower-impact species that can deliver strong nutritional outcomes.

Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture remain a dominant force in the sector globally, producing, processing and distributing most of the blue food destined for human consumption and providing 90% of jobs, supporting an estimated 800 million livelihoods.

The WEF analysis also points to innovation as a key lever for scaling aquaculture sustainably, including alternative feed ingredients that reduce pressure on wild fish stocks.

The report argues that stronger cross-sector collaboration  will be needed to integrate blue food into national policy frameworks and business strategies, warning that seafood is often overlooked in broader food system planning.

One initiative referenced is the Friends of Ocean Action’s Blue Food Partnership, including a Sustainable Aquaculture 2030 Working Group backed by the United Kingdom’s Blue Planet Fund, aimed at developing science-based solutions for aquaculture growth.

The World Economic Forum’s focus on sustainable aquaculture landed alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address in Davos, where he said that basic self-reliance is becoming a test of national survival.

“A country that cannot feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options,” Carney said, framing food security as strategic power rather than a niche policy issue.

That message is now colliding with Canada’s unresolved debate over ocean salmon farming in British Columbia, where Ottawa is still advancing a plan to phase out open-net pen farms by 2029.

Supporters of the sector argue the phase-out is undermining domestic food production and destabilizing coastal economies at a time when global supply chains are becoming more fragile. The B.C. salmon farming industry supports roughly 4,500 full-time jobs, including hundreds of Indigenous positions, many in remote communities with limited alternative employment options.

Industry-linked businesses have also warned that prolonged federal uncertainty has chilled investment and erased hundreds of millions of dollars in annual spending across the aquaculture supply chain, putting pressure on coastal communities that rely on year-round marine employment.

While acknowledging aquaculture is not risk-free, the file also points to claims of improved performance over time, including historic lows in antibiotic use, tighter monitoring and enforcement, and peer-reviewed research suggesting B.C.’s marine net-pen farms have, at most, minimal impacts on wild salmon populations.

As demand for blue food accelerates and governments worldwide treat food security as a strategic asset, the WEF’s call for innovation, regulation, and cross-sector collaboration is increasingly landing inside Canada’s own fight over on whether to expand ocean salmon aquaculture, reform it, or shut it down.

Main image shows delegates at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland – image courtesy of WEF