About 180 billion pounds (about 81 billion kg) of wild fish are caught each year. This is equivalent to the weight of the entire population of China. The most frequently fished species are cod, salmon, tuna and swordfish, all of which are in danger of overfishing.
More facts about aquaculture:
Asia accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s fish consumption. China alone consumes more than 72 billion pounds (about 32 billion kg) of fish per year, which is equivalent to about 60 pounds (27 kg) of fish per person per year. By contrast, the United States consumes about 5 billion pounds (about 2.3 billion kg) of fish each year.
In Cambodia, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Ghana, fish accounts for up to half of the protein in the average person’s diet.
Over the past 50 years, there has been a 90% decline in the populations of several large fish species, including tuna, swordfish, and sharks.