The production of farmed fish has overtaken the production of beef for the first time in modern history, according to an article from environmental think tank Earth Policy Institute.
In 2012, world beef production reached 63 million, but it couldn't top the production of fish farming, or aquaculture, which soared to 66 million. This year, too, could be a milestone — consumption of farmed fish may surpass those caught in the wild.
So how did this happen? Beef production boomed in the second half of the 20th century, but has been slowing since the late 1980s. The amount of fish caught in the wild has remained constant for the last three decades. According to the institute, getting more food from natural landscapes is looking increasingly unlikely as the world's fisheries and grasslands reach exhaustion. Cattle feedlots and farmed fish are the results.
Grain and soybean prices have risen, which means that raising cattle has become more expensive. Raising fish, on the other hand, is strikingly more efficient — and this is perhaps to thank for its rising production numbers.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Huffington Post
