This two-part report analyses investment trends and financial mechanisms shaping the industry’s future, concluding that aquaculture’s growth potential requires a significant transition from small-scale to more intensive production.

With seafood production expected to increase by 14% by 2032, the aquaculture sector now requires innovative financing at scale, particularly in emerging markets helping small scale farmers improve productivity through adoption of improved farming practices, to achieve its potential

Main findings of the report:

• Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector, now supplying most of the world’s seafood. Demand continues to rise as wild fisheries reach maximum yield
• Aquaculture is shifting from a niche to a mainstream investment strategy, offering diversification and strong long-term returns.
• A “business-as-usual” growth forecast projects an additional 60 million metric tons of annual aquaculture production over the next 25 years. On the other hand, an upside growth scenario involving targeted investments projects an additional 97 million metric tons of annual production over the same period.
• Top aquaculture industries offer strong returns by focusing on different markets: shrimp in Ecuador, salmon in Chile, Pangasius in Vietnam are leading global exports, while Carp in China and Black Tiger Shrimp in Bangladesh are primarily supplying their own domestic markets.
• Public-private partnerships and development finance are key: Governments, development finance institutions, and private investors including Philanthropies and concessional investors will continue playing a critical role in scaling sustainable aquaculture and reducing investor risks.
• Green finance is reshaping investments: Sustainability-linked loans and blue bonds are unlocking capital for responsible aquaculture growth.

Volume I contained chapters on seven selected case study aquaculture species, prepared as a resource for those contemplating the possible benefits and risks of investments in aquaculture.

Volume II starts with an introduction followed by the individual case study chapters. This introduction provides an overview of aquaculture and summarises key points from the species chapters. It uses a comparative summary to show similarities and differences in the farming of the selected species.

This is important because investors may think that the investment is in seafood and protein and not recognise that the two come in a number of species (and species groups), each of which has a somewhat different investment risk that is also influenced by country.

Download Volume I here