Contribution to the economy
Subsistence freshwater aquaculture and inland capture fisheries play a vital role in the food security of rural people,
particularly in remote areas.
In contrast,
intensive freshwater aquaculture and brackish water aquaculture generally involve higher financial investment and a skilled labour force.
In 2002 average fish consumption was 33.06 kg/capita/year.
The aquaculture industry generates many other related businesses.
Among the important ones are fish feed, chemicals suppliers, storage, processing, marketing, etc.
Logistics are also important to ensure product freshness and timely distribution.
These generate a lot of indirect employment.
In Thailand, aquaculture makes an important contribution to GDP.
In 2002 aquaculture accounted for 2.07 percent of total GDP (Sugiyama et al., 2004).
Aquaculture also plays a substantial role in providing vital income generation opportunities to the people.
In 2001 aquaculture provided full-time or part-time jobs to 80 704 households, whilst capture fisheries provided employment to around 50 198 households.