The shift of phosphorus transfers in global fisheries and aquaculture

Yuanyuan Huang (), Phillipe Ciais, Daniel S. Goll, Jordi Sardans, Josep Peñuelas, Fabio Cresto-Aleina and Haicheng Zhang
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Yuanyuan Huang: Université Paris-Saclay
Phillipe Ciais: Université Paris-Saclay
Daniel S. Goll: Université Paris-Saclay
Jordi Sardans: CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB
Josep Peñuelas: CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB
Fabio Cresto-Aleina: Université Paris-Saclay
Haicheng Zhang: Université Paris-Saclay

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Global fish production (capture and aquaculture) has increased quickly, which has altered global flows of phosphorus (P). Here we show that in 2016, $$2.04_{1.59}^{3.09}$$2.041.593.09 Tg P yr−1 (mean and interquartile range) was applied in aquaculture to increase fish production; while $$1.10_{1.04}^{1.14}$$1.101.041.14 Tg P yr−1 was removed from aquatic systems by fish harvesting. Between 1950 and 1986, P from fish production went from aquatic towards the land-human systems. This landward P peaked at 0.54 Tg P yr−1, representing a large but overlooked P flux that might benefit land activities under P scarcity. After 1986, the landward P flux decreased significantly, and became negative around 2004, meaning that humans spend more P to produce fish than harvest P in fish capture. An idealized pathway to return to the balanced anthropogenic P flow would require the mean phosphorus use efficiency (the ratio of harvested to input P) of aquaculture to be increased from a current value of 20% to at least 48% by 2050 — a big challenge.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14242-7

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