Charting the course of aquaculture for the year 2000 and beyond

Abstract

Over the years, most countries with active aquaculture industries have concentrated their attention on accelerating the expansion of these industries. Though quite small in terms of geographical area, Taiwan has grown incongruously in terms of aquaculture technology. In this paper it will be referred to several times as a model case in the growth of aquaculture. In Taiwan, aquaculture industry showed during the past decade an average annual growth rate of 8 per cent. Total aquaculture output for 1982 was approximately 216,436 tonnes, valued at US $ 507 million; and for 1987, total output was 305,428 tonnes, worth about US $ 1.2 billion. This amounted to a 41 per cent volume increase in total aquaculture production. Aquaculture has quickly turned into a booming industry and its impressive growth has been stimulated and supported by scientific research. At this point in the development of aquaculture, everyone involved in aquaculture research and development should pause to chart its future direction as the year 2000 draws nearer. This paper is a modest attempt in this direction.