For at least ten years, aquaculture has surpassed fishing in terms of global fish and seafood production. In this context, the probability of having wild fish on our plates is gradually decreasing. Recently, an infographic has delivered quite worrying figures, mainly with regard to « salmon farms ».
More than 50% of total aquatic animal production
In a June 2024 publication, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced that for the first time, aquaculture had surpassed catch fishing for the production of aquatic animals. In 2022, global aquaculture production thus reached an unprecedented level of 130.9 million tons, including 94.4 million tons of aquatic animals, or 51% of total aquatic animal production. A question then arises: will it be increasingly difficult to get wild fish on our plates?
On December 21, 2025, the Courrier International published a very telling infographic, dealing with salmon farming. More precisely, we are talking about « salmon farms », the latter resembling large flats floating in the ocean. Many are found in the cold waters of Norway – the world’s leading producer – but also in Scotland.
What is the nature of the criticisms against aquaculture?
In the Southern Hemisphere, Australia is asserting itself as a leader with large farms in Tasmania. This region produces no less than 75,000 tons of salmon per year, or 90% of the country’s total production. At the beginning of 2025, the inhabitants of Verona Sands (Tasmania) saw hundreds of pieces of dead salmon stranded on their beach, a fact that will have relaunched debates on this mode of breeding at a political level.
In Australia, but not only, criticism of aquaculture generally concerns water pollution, the spread of diseases and parasites, but also massive escapes of farmed fish that cause competition with wild individuals in their natural environment, as well as genetic modifications via reproduction. Let’s also mentite the overpopulation within the livestock itself, causing many losses (waste) or the destruction of the habitats of certain marine animals such as sea lions.
Nevertheless, let’s talk about a point that is quite rarely present in the spotlight: intensive salmon farming requires considerable fishing resources. In other words, farmed salmon are partly fed with wild fish caught at sea, including sardines and anchovies. It is therefore quite legitimate to wonder whether or not wild fish will become increasingly inaccessible in the near future.
Little room for optimism
The fact is that eating wild fish is already a luxury that is not very accessible for many people compared to current prices, although these vary according to the species. However, the ever-increasing production from aquaculture is obviously a negative factor, especially since it is a long-term trend. And as proof, Norway wants to triple its production by 2050, while the country already produces between 1 and 1.5 million tons each year.
Unfortunately and especially in a context of increased production, drifts related to aquaculture – pollution, escape, consumption of fish from fishing, etc. – will increasingly endanger wild fish resources. Thus, the coming years will undoubtedly be synonymous with an increased decrease in the probability of having wild fish on our plates. Wild fish will probably not disappear but prices will soar, so that only a certain category of consumers will be able to take advantage of it.
