Seafood is perhaps the largest international commodity with fish trade exceeding US$60 billion per year.  Almost 200 countries supply fish and seafood products to the global marketplace consisting of more than 800 commercially important species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks.

Through the current day, the supply of fish has kept up not only with a rapidly increasing population but also with increases in per capita consumption.  However, global capture fisheries are at their maximum sustainable yield and while aquaculture continues to grow, it will have difficultly keeping pace with global demand.

The discussion that follows talks about the trends and future outlook for seafood consumption and supply.  The outlook is not bright.  Without rapid implementation of sustainable fisheries management practices supply will not meet growth in demand and more concerning, we may actually experience a reduction in seafood availability as we deplete one of the worlds most valuable resources.