The Value of a Fish
The average person consumes approximately 45 lbs of fish and seafood each year. It's hard to grasp but that is the equivalent to 223.2 million tonnes of food produced annually from global fisheries, including aquaculture. Those numbers are strictly looking at consumption and capture, respectively. They say nothing towards the value of a fish, though considering the large numbers, it might be easier to try and quantify the value of fish overall. We look to fish for the nutritional value they can add to our lives through protein, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. We treasure fish for their economical value through commercial fishing, employment opportunities, and trade. The value of fish goes far beyond that to include the ecological and environmental values they provide through healthy biodiverse populations, ecosystem services, and the value we can gain from sustainable fishing practices. Furthermore, and closest to our hearts, we can look at the cultural and recreational value that fish hold, from their cultural significance, to the joy we get from recreational fish and even keeping aquariums. Together let's cast a line and look at the value of fish.
One of the easiest ways for the average person to see value in fish is by looking at its nutritional content. Fish are generally an excellent source of protein and the grams per serving can vary from fish to fish. Take a look at the protein you can expect to find in the following fish:
Swordfish: 20g in a 3oz steak (85g)
Mahi Mahi: 38g in 1 filet (204g)
Salmon: 39g in half a filet (178g)
Tuna: 43g in half a filet (154g)
Snapper: 45g in 1 filet (218g)
In addition to having a substantial amount of protein, fish are considered part of a heart healthy diet, thanks to their omega 3 fatty acids that help with things like lowering blood pressure, improving brain function, reducing the risk of strokes and heart disease, and helping to reduce inflammation. Here’s a look at how many milligrams of Omega-3’s are found in a 6 oz serving of the following fish and shellfish:
Swordfish: 1,392mg
Salmon: 3,658mg
Tuna: 1,462mg
Lobster: 1,129mg
Shrimp: 536mg
Fish are also filled with necessary vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B2, Iron, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium, and Potassium to name a few.
Nutritional value from fish isn’t just limited to human consumption. If you have pets you might be familiar with it. Next time you pick up a container of food, look at the list of ingredients. From dog and cat food, to bird, reptile, and even fish food, there is usually one ingredient on the list that comes from an aquatic animal. The nutrition available to us and our pets is one of the easiest ways to see the value in fish. It is often easy for us to appreciate things we can understand. Food and the nutrition we gain from it is fairly universal unlike the economical value of fish which tends to be a bit more visible to those living in coastal communities around the world.
Every 4 years the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) releases its report on the state of fisheries and it is here where the numbers are so staggering it's hard to wrap your head around it. Here are some of the numbers from the 2022 report:
Total Value: $472 billion USD
$313 of that was from Aquaculture
Global production: $245.8 million tons
144.2 million tons was from aquaculture
101.7 million tons was from capture fisheries
As you can see, based on the catch numbers, there is enormous value in fisheries around the world. Where there is economic value, there are always jobs available. Jobs in fisheries and aquaculture provide employment for 61.8 million people around the world! Again, it's hard to grasp such large numbers, but to put it into a bit more perspective, the population of California is 38 million people. Looking at the chart above, you can see the United States produces significantly less than some of the other regions, but what the United States lacks in production, it makes up for in imports as it is the largest importer of aquatic animal products, according to the 2022 FAO report. Similar to the identifying value of a fish in terms of nutrition, the economic value of fish is straightforward in terms of quantification. Where things get a bit harder to quantify is with the environmental and ecological value of fish.
Since they spend their lives below the surface, most fish are out of sight and thus out of mind. Just because they aren’t regularly visible doesn’t mean they don’t provide immense value to the world around them. A healthy ocean ecosystem is a complex environment, with different species playing different roles. The more biodiverse the populations living there, the healthier it is considered. Fish fill many different roles within the environments they live and oftentimes help to keep things in check without us ever even realizing it. This valuable resource they are providing is called an ecosystem service. A significant amount of research has been done on the value of coral reefs which, in a 2018 study were found to have value estimates ranging from $750 million to $2.2 billion in ecosystem services. Some of the services provided include recreation, habitat for juvenile and adult species, waste management, nutrient cycling, and storm mitigation. While fish aren’t the only species keeping the reefs alive they do play a huge role in the overall health of a reef. The same can be said for other ecosystems like eelgrass beds, kelp forests, and mangrove forests.
Those are just a few examples of some of the large picture services fish can provide. For a specific example of ecosystem services we can look at salmon. Salmon spend most of their adult lives in the open ocean, but when it comes time for the salmon to spawn, they swim upstream into freshwater. Eventually they will get eaten by local wildlife, or die, providing nutrients for their young. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, when salmon die and begin to break down their nutrients are returned to the local area, providing nutrients for streamside vegetation. “One study concludes that trees on the banks of salmon-stocked rivers grow more than three times faster than their counterparts along salmon-free rivers.”
As you can probably tell, even if we can’t precisely quantify the value of these fish, we know how important they are and we have taken steps to ensure sustainable fishing practices where applicable to ensure their health and success.
One of the hardest areas to place a value on when it comes to fish is culturally and recreationally. If you’re like us, you’ve spent at least some time out on the water even if you haven’t caught anything. Now while we could place value strictly by looking at the cost of a fishing charter, that doesn’t fully encompass the value and significance of fishing. How do you put a monetary value on the feeling of excitement and joy you get from catching a record fish, or teaching a friend or family member how to fish and seeing them successfully hook one? It’s really hard. In one of my previous articles I discussed the mental health benefits of fishing and there are many! If you haven’t already read that, check it out here https://rvpilar.org/blogvlogs/2024/1/8/mental-health-and-fishing If you were to consider fishing a form of therapy, you could look at the cost of an office visit to a therapist and multiply it by the number of times you went fishing to come up with an estimated value. But there are more places to relax when around fish than just going out fishing.
Most of this article is centered around fish you catch and eat, but there is a small sector of fish lovers who like to keep aquariums with their favorite species of fish and corals in their homes or businesses. Broaden that net even further and you could also include public aquariums and stores like Bass Pro Shop and Cabela’s which have large displays contributing at least something to the sales of the company.
So you see, placing a value on fish is not as easy as you might think. While there are certain aspects of fish you can easily place value on- nutritional merits, commercial and economic areas- it gets a bit trickier the further into it that you look. In this article environmental benefits and ecosystem services were discussed, but what was included was only really the tip of the iceberg. That brings us to the cultural and recreational value of fish. Personally I can’t really think of a way to quantify that and I honestly don’t want to try. Sure hobbies cost money, but how can you put a price on joy?