^ 300 



o 



o 



Q. 250 



OT 200 

 o 



2 150 



LI 00 



50 



Constant Rate 

 Of Increase 

 n Demand 



Total 

 Market 



1950 I960 1970 



Dota up to 1965 from FAO source 



1980 



1990 



2000 



FiGUBE 5. — World market for all fishery products. 



2000. If per capita consumption remains the same as in 1965, more 

 than 215 billion pounds will be required by the turn of the century. 

 The current rate of increase in consumption, however, is about double 

 the rate of world population growth. With better preservation of 

 flavor and more attractive processing, more will be consumed directly 

 as food, in addition to increases for animal feed. Thus it is likely that 

 the per capita consumption of fish products will increase so that by the 

 year 2000, the total could approach 350 billion pounds. 



U.S. Market for Fish Products 



The U.S. demand for fish products in 1965 amounted to 12 billion 

 pounds. In the past five years it increased at a greater rate than our 

 population, mainly from increased demand for fish meal as animal 

 feed. 



Imported fishery products presently supply over half of our require- 

 ments. A significant amount of these imports, however, is produced 

 by American-owned companies. Foreign fishery products will con- 

 tinue to take a major share of our domestic market unless the relative 

 cost of products offered by our domestic industry is reduced. 



Figure 6 projects American consumption of fishery products to 

 the year 2000 by which time the demand may be double or perhaps 

 triple today's requirements. 



Resources of the World's Waters 



Against this projection of seafood demand, it is necessary to examine 

 the supply. Data are insufficient on which to base good estimates of 

 the ocean's sustainable yield. Experts are in wide disagreement and 



46 



