The ocean economy is worth between $3 trillion and $6 trillion and offers vast opportunities for developing countries to build resilience. But marine resources are under threat from climate change, pollution and overfishing. About 11 million tonnes of plastic flow into the ocean each year.

As a critical component of the global economy, the ocean and its ecosystems provide important goods and services and support numerous activities essential for economic development, such as capture fisheries, maritime transport and ports, coastal tourism, coastal protection, and energy.

Fuel subsidies are one of the most common types of government support to the fisheries sector.

Significant growth in aquaculture has driven global fisheries and aquaculture production to a record high as aquatic foods make an increasingly critical contribution to food security and nutrition in the 21st century, according to this report by the FAO.

The marine capture fisheries production of Africa currently stands at 7 million tonnes. It has increased in recent years thanks to the strong resurgence of West African small pelagic catches and a return to normality in the Indian Ocean following the end of Somalian piracy.

This report provides—for the first time—an open-access database of support measures for marine fisheries by the Indian Central Government and four state governments (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu) based on information from government sources.

This note on sea cucumber farming is part of a series to analyze the different forms of green aquaculture, assessing potential environmental, economic, and social benefits. Aquaculture offers advantages on several levels closely aligned to the Bank’s strategy.