Global fish production and how it links to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Not a vegetarian? Now imagine a life without fish 😏. You may say…..but there is meat, chicken, pork, and so on. Very true, but did you know that fish provide more than 15 % of the world’s protein and more than 3 billion people depend on fish?.

Global fish production will increase significantly in the next decade (FAO 2021). This is good but the intensity at which fish are being produced has led to an increase in antibiotic usage on a global level. For instance, Schar et al. (2020), estimated that the global use of antibiotics in fish production in 2017 was 10,259 tons, and about a 33 % increment is to be expected in 2030. 

Apparently, an increase in fish production in many countries necessitates the empirical use and misuse of antibiotics which in many cases led to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In some countries, antibiotics are used for fish growth promotions, fish disease prevention, and treatments. There are also no regulations restricting the use of these compounds in fish farming. As a result, antibiotics are used extensively for these purposes. The more frequently an antibiotic is used, the more resistant pathogenic bacteria get to that particular antibiotic. the funny thing is that high levels of antibiotic residues have been detected on fish body parts that are consumed by the population 😥😥.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is a global health issue that could be the next pandemic ravaging the world in the next decades. Researchers are therefore working endlessly to curb the effect that this may have on human health and the sustainability of the environment but farmers also have roles to play in stopping the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. By doing this, they are indirectly protecting people that depend on fish for their livelihoods 😃😃.

References

FAO, 2020. The State of World Fisheries And Aquaculture 2020. Sustainability in Action.
Rome.

Schar, D., Klein, E.Y., Laxminarayan, R., Gilbert, M., Van Boeckel, T.P., 2020. Global trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture. Sci. Rep. 10 (1), 1–9.