People like to eat fish but it is often necessary to bridge the gap between the wild catch (from fisheries) and the demand for fish.

As a result of the world's growing  population, traditional preferences and a pronounced shift in western societies towards healthier eating patterns, there is likely to be a continuous increase in demand for seafood and fish products.

The following table gives some examples of current fish consumption per person:

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has estimated in a report entitled "Agriculture: Towards 2015/2030" (published in July 2000) that global fish consumption will rise by 25% by 2030. In its report of 2002, on the world situation of fisheries and fish farming, the FAO advances that the world production, the total consumption and the food demand and consumption per capita will increase during the next three decades. It also adds that the world production of the catch fisheries should stagnate, whereas that of the fish farming should increase.

The average world consumption of fish per person could grow from 16 kg a year, in 1997, to 19–20 kg by 2030, raising the total food use of fish to 150–160 million metric tons.

The annual sustainable yield of marine capture fisheries is estimated to be no more than 100 million metric tons. “The bulk of the increase in supply therefore will have to come from aquaculture," says the report. Aquaculture is well suited to meeting this increasing demand for seafood.

Often fish can be grown in rural and coastal areas that are currently characterised by low employment rates, providing income and raising living standards.

Farmed fish are already supplementing the wild catch. However, the growth in farmed fish is not only related to increasing demand, but also to factors such as consistency in supply and quality, traceability and good documentation.

The inherent efficiencies of farming versus fishing for the wild catch (hunting) will see a progressive switch from fishing to fish farming. The FAO estimates that the cost of catching fish in the wild, on a global basis, is about 25% higher than the value of the catch. The difference is often made up by government subsidies. Were these to be withdrawn, the economic realities would undoubtedly further stimulate the aquaculture industry.

Currently, the aquaculture industry is gaining increasing governmental support, often supported by national and international funding for programmes on research and development issues. As fish farming has developed, farmers have reduced production costs and improved the quality of the fish and have developed better logistics (through improved nutrition, animal welfare and harvesting methods, processing, transportation and storage in the shops). Many farmed fish are high quality products that can be offered to the market on a regular basis throughout the year at a competitive price.