Images from the Sentinel-1A satellite are being used to monitor aquaculture in the Mediterranean, in another example of the mission's contribution to food security, as fisheries become the main source of seafood.

The satellite counted nearly 4500 fish cages over six months, mainly of mussel racks or finfish, along the western Mediterranean's coastline. The number of fish hatching cages in the Mediterranean was not known before this survey.

Farming finfish, shellfish and aquatic plants is one of the world's fastest growing food sectors, which already provides the planet with about half of the fish we eat.

Aquaculture surpassed wild fisheries as the main source of seafood in 2014, according to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization. This reflects the earlier transformation of land from hunting to farming.