State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2004 - Library

World review of fisheries and aquaculture
9
in 2002, ranking once again as the most caught marine species (Figure 6). Other major
Clupeoid species (e.g. Atlantic herring, Japanese anchovy and European pilchard/
sardine) did not show a common catch trend in the latest years, as species belonging to
this group are strongly influenced by the variability of local environmental conditions.
Overall catches of the Gadiformes group of species (e.g. cods, hakes and haddocks)
continued to decrease and by 2002 had reached their lowest levels since 1967. The
value of these catches for food uses amounted to US$5.7 billion, representing 8 percent
of the total value of landings for consumption. Alaska pollock and blue whiting, the
two major species in terms of catches, but of low commercial value, also decreased in
2002 following a significant increase in 2001. After minor decreases in 2000 and 2001,
total catches of tuna and tuna-like species exceeded 6 million tonnes for the first time
in 2002, accounting for 11 percent of the total value of landings for consumption.
Increased catches were also realized from tropical species such as skipjack (the third
global species in 2002) and yellowfin tunas. Geographically, catches increased in the two
central Pacific fishing areas and the Western Indian Ocean, while in the other fishing
areas tuna catches were stable (e.g. the Eastern Indian Ocean) or decreasing (e.g. the
Northwest and Southeast Pacific). Total catches of the three major small pelagic species
(capelin, Chilean jack mackerel and chub mackerel) increased in 2001 by 33.2 percent in
comparison with 2000 but decreased in 2002 by 13.5 percent from 2001 levels.
Catches of oceanic species occurring principally in high seas waters continued to
increase (see Box 1).
Catches of the “sharks, rays, chimaeras” group have been stable since 1996 at
about 0.8 million tonnes. However, a possible reduction of shark catches may be
masked by the remarkable recent improvement in the species breakdown of reported
catches (previously mostly combined under the generic item “Elasmobranchii” or even
classified as “Marine fishes not identified”) following the efforts of FAO and RFBs to
improve shark statistics. In 1996, the FAO capture database included data for 45 species
items in the shark group; this more than doubled to 95 species items in 2002 and now
represents more than 7 percent of the total, at 1 347.
Total catch production of both marine crustaceans and molluscs declined slightly
from their 2000 peak over the following two years. Production trends of cephalopods
since the low catches recorded in 1998 have shown marked variation among the
three major species: catches of the Eastern Pacific jumbo flying squid rose steeply
(2002 catches were 15 times higher than those in 1998); catches of the Western Pacific
Japanese flying squid grew markedly in 1999 and 2000 but have been decreasing since;
and catches of the Argentine shortfin squid, which in 1999 had reached 1.1 million
tonnes in the Southwest Pacific, dropped in the subsequent three years and by 2002
were half of the 1999 maximum.