A value chain is the complete series of activities and transactions necessary to manufacture a product and deliver it to consumers. Following this simplified definition, the aquaculture value chain includes the capture/production of ingredients, the production of diets with these ingredients, their use in fish production, the harvesting and processing of fish, and their sale to the final consumer. However, this value chain is much more complex and encompasses many more actors and activities. The production and transformation phases themselves involve a combination of physical transformations and the participation of other actors and services.

As the name suggests, value is added to the product at successive points in a chain, either by value addition or value creation. Added value can result from transformation or processing that converts, among other things, whole fish into fillets, which have more unit value or a longer shelf life. Value creation results from product differentiation, such as geographical location “Norwegian salmon”. Value addition or creation can involve economic gains, but also social or environmental gains.

A good definition of the value chain, its actors and services, is fundamental to obtaining clear and assertive data about the entire aquaculture market at the national and international levels, as it is an activity that adds value to the goods produced and contributes to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). It would be important to separate the fish value chain into the fishing value chain and the aquaculture value chain. This is mainly because the two are usually associated, and the true importance of aquaculture in the market is not recognized, as it can be masked by the fishing sector, making it impossible to predict or foresee its full potential at the national level.

The aquaculture supply chain also involves a wide variety of specific services at different stages, such as wholesale and retail services, as well as marketing services or boat rental services. Others apply to all phases of the process, for example, research and development services, management and advisory services, as well as training services. There is, therefore, a set of relevant stakeholders to understand and grasp their true value.

The use of aquaculture-related waste and the recovery of by-products require considerably more attention, and studies of these value chains will be crucial to know for sure the volume, value, structure, performance, and management of these secondary chains. Only then will it be possible to add value and create new businesses.

Fish value chain (FAO 20192) – The path that fishery and aquaculture products can take to reach the market, identifying the different stages of the value chain.

1 – Bjorndhal, T et al., 2014. Value chain dynamics and small-scale policy recommendations for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture trade. FAO technical document: 123 pages. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/fisheries/docs/Value_chain_dynamics_and_the_small-scale_sector.pdf
2 – FAO 2019 – Trade In Fisheries And Aquaculture Services Data Collection And Assessment