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State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2004 - Library

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<strong>World</strong> review <strong>of</strong> fisheries <strong>and</strong> aquaculture<br />

7<br />

total non-powered boats). In 2002, the number <strong>of</strong> large vessels increased to 24 406, but<br />

growth has halted as many nations have adopted capacity containment programmes.<br />

Records show that in 2002 about 13 percent <strong>of</strong> these large vessels were less than ten<br />

years old, <strong>and</strong> 28 percent were above 30 years <strong>of</strong> age (compared with 30 <strong>and</strong> 6 percent,<br />

respectively, in 1992). Indications are that the fleet size <strong>of</strong> some major fishing nations<br />

has continued to decrease.<br />

A clear shift in the role <strong>of</strong> regional fishery bodies (RFBs) has occurred since the<br />

adoption <strong>of</strong> key international fisheries instruments following the 1992 United Nations<br />

Conference on Environment <strong>and</strong> Development (UNCED). Many RFBs have reviewed or<br />

amended their respective agreements or conventions in response to their strengthened<br />

post-UNCED role in conservation <strong>and</strong> management. Generally, they are taking<br />

innovative <strong>and</strong> cooperative action to implement international fisheries instruments,<br />

many <strong>of</strong> these in an effort to rebuild depleted stocks, prevent further decline <strong>and</strong> to<br />

combat illegal, unreported <strong>and</strong> unregulated (IUU) fishing. RFBs are constrained by<br />

the unwillingness <strong>of</strong> Member <strong>State</strong>s to delegate sufficient decision-making power<br />

<strong>and</strong> responsibilities to the RFBs, <strong>and</strong> their reluctance to implement decisions taken by<br />

the RFBs. The movement <strong>of</strong> RFBs towards becoming bodies with fishery management<br />

functions is placing greater dem<strong>and</strong>s on their decision-making capacity.<br />

CAPTURE FISHERIES PRODUCTION<br />

Total capture fisheries production<br />

In 2002, total capture fisheries production amounted to 93.2 million tonnes, slightly<br />

(0.3 million tonnes) above production in 2001 (Table 1). The first sale value <strong>of</strong> this<br />

catch amounted to around US$78 billion, representing a 1.6 percent decline compared<br />

with the value in 2000, partly caused by a decrease <strong>of</strong> catch <strong>and</strong> a decline <strong>of</strong> the unit<br />

value <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong>ings for food consumption. Within the total value, reduction fisheries<br />

accounted for nearly US$3 billion. Global catches (Figure 3) remained stable during<br />

the last four years for which complete statistics are available (1999–2002), with the<br />

exception <strong>of</strong> 2000 when annual catches exceeded by over 2 million tonnes the level<br />

<strong>of</strong> preceding <strong>and</strong> subsequent years, a consequence <strong>of</strong> the remarkable increase in the<br />

environmentally driven recovery <strong>of</strong> stocks <strong>of</strong> Peruvian anchoveta. Preliminary estimates<br />

indicate that global marine catches decreased in 2003 by about 3 million tonnes<br />

compared with 2002. This decrease roughly corresponds to the drop in catches <strong>of</strong><br />

Peruvian anchoveta <strong>and</strong> other reduction species in the Southeast Pacific.<br />

The top ten capture fishery producing countries have not changed since 1992. In<br />

2002, their cumulative catches represented 60 percent <strong>of</strong> the world total, with China<br />

<strong>and</strong> Peru still leading the ranking in both 2001 <strong>and</strong> 2002 (Figure 4). Capture production<br />

reported by China has remained fairly stable since 1998 (Figure 3), while trends in<br />

Peruvian total capture production are always strongly influenced by variations in<br />

anchoveta catches.<br />

<strong>World</strong> marine capture fisheries production<br />

Marine capture fisheries production in 2002 was 84.5 million tonnes, representing<br />

a decline <strong>of</strong> 2.6 percent with respect to 2000 <strong>and</strong> a minor increase <strong>of</strong> 0.4 percent in<br />

comparison with 2001 catches.<br />

During the past decade, the reported l<strong>and</strong>ings <strong>of</strong> marine capture fisheries have<br />

fluctuated between 80 <strong>and</strong> 86 million tonnes (average 1993–2003, 84 million tonnes),<br />

a slight increase over the preceding decade (average, 77 million tonnes). It should be<br />

noted that, between the two periods, the quantity <strong>of</strong> marine fish caught <strong>and</strong> discarded<br />

has fallen by several million tonnes (see the section on discards in marine capture<br />

fisheries on pp. 122–127). This came about, inter alia, through improved gear selectivity<br />

<strong>and</strong> fishing practices (that reduced bycatch), fisheries management that decreased<br />

access to some stocks (by reducing allowable catches <strong>and</strong> including the closure <strong>of</strong> some<br />

fisheries), no-discard policies in some countries (that forced l<strong>and</strong>ings <strong>of</strong> all catches) <strong>and</strong><br />

growing dem<strong>and</strong> for fish combined with improved technologies <strong>and</strong> opportunities<br />

for utilizing bycatch. Despite the uncertainty regarding the total decrease in discards<br />

<strong>and</strong> the proportion <strong>of</strong> that decrease resulting from improved fisheries management,<br />

increased dem<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> improved processing, respectively, there is no doubt that marine<br />

capture fisheries are moving towards a more appropriate use <strong>of</strong> wild fish stocks.

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