Fact Fun: The world's fisheries and aquaculture contributed almost 160 million tonnes of fish in 2012, valued at over $215 billion. It's a lot of fish, but more impressively, it's the amount of money that makes it "reel"ly significant!

Food fish supply has grown from 9.9 kg per person in the 1960s to 19 kg in 2012.

Asia has a massive appetite for fish, accounting for two-thirds of total consumption.

Though low-income countries have seen an increase in fish consumption, high-income countries still consume more, but China is closing the gap!

Let's appreciate China for a moment. China's share in world fish production grew from 7% in 1961 to 35% in 2010. That's a huge jump!

Real-world Example: Think of all the sushi you love. Where's it coming from? A big chunk is from Asia, which loves fish so much, it consumed 85.4 million tonnes, and 42.8 million tonnes was consumed outside China. That's a lot of sushi!

Fact Fun: Fishing fleets now catch fewer large predatory fish (like the mighty cod) but more smaller fish further down the food chain. This impacts both the type of fish available for human consumption and could also cause a lasting change in marine ecosystems.

Overfishing of top-level predators like cod leads to an increase in smaller fish populations.

Although we have larger boats and better technology, catches of species like cod are decreasing. Some species have even become extinct!

Real-world Example: Imagine playing a video game where you're fishing. But the catch? There are fewer big, valuable fish, and more small, less valuable ones. As the number of top-level predators falls, the number of smaller fish increases. So, while the total number of fish remains high, the type of fish is changing. We're losing the big guys!

Fact Fun: A World Bank and FAO report showed that poor management, inefficiency, and overfishing cause up to $50 billion in losses per year for world fisheries. Also, despite investments in technology, fish stocks are so depleted that it takes more effort to find and catch the remaining fish.

The world’s fisheries capacity continues to grow but, due to over-capacity, much of the investment in new technology is wasted.

Real-world Example: Ever tried to catch butterflies with a net, but there were only a few butterflies left? It's kind of like that with fishing, too. There's plenty of capacity to catch fish (imagine lots of big nets), but fewer fish to catch. That’s the sad reality of overfishing!