International fisheries law: persistent and emerging challenges

In 1954, the world’s population stood at 2.8 billion, increasing to 4.1 billion by 1974 and to 8.2 billion by 2024. Over the past seven decades, the population has tripled, and projections suggest a sustained upward trajectory, with an anticipated 10 billion people by the year 2050. The expansion of the world’s population means that food production must steadily increase to avoid widespread hunger and malnutrition. Yet, the challenges are numerous, most notably, climate change, overexploitation of living marine resources and diminishing arable land. Living marine resources play a key role in human food supply. This is illustrated by the fact that fish represents approximately 20% of the animal protein consumed worldwide. While aquaculture has developed significantly during the last 30 years, reaching an annual worldwide production of approximately 90 million tonnes, in comparison to 20 million tonnes in 1995, capture fisheries production remains important, levelling approximately an annual 90 million tonnes production. Capture fisheries production amounts to around 25% of the annual meat production levelling about 370 million tonnes. The importance of seafood in the general human food chain exemplifies the necessity to ensure a comprehensive international legal framework, providing for sustainable conservation and management of all living marine resources.