State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2004 - Library

World review of fisheries and aquaculture
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Africa and Asia contributed about 90 percent of global inland capture production
in 2002 (Figure 7). Compared with 2000, catches in 2002 have grown by about
0.6 percent in the Asia inland fishing area, 2 percent in Africa, and 9 percent in South
America. Catches decreased in Europe (by 18 percent), North and Central America (by
9.8 percent) and Oceania (by 0.5 percent).
The principal ten producers accounted for about 66 percent of global production
from inland capture fisheries in 2002 (Figure 8). China, the top producer, has reported
stable inland catches since 1998 and still produces one-quarter of the global inland
catches. The Russian Federation and Kenya, which ranked fifth and tenth respectively
in 2000, dropped out of the top ten list in 2002 and were superseded by Myanmar
and Brazil. The Russian Federation now ranks twelfth following a dramatic decrease in
catch during the last two years.
The bulk of world production (68.1 percent) came from developing countries
other than China and only 6.1 percent from developed countries, classified either as
“Economies in transition” or as “Industrialized countries” (Table 3). The divergence
between developed and developing countries in the importance of inland catches is
further evidenced by the fact that, in 2002, not one developed country was among the
top ten world producers (Figure 8).
Reporting of inland catch by species group remains very poor for many countries
and does not permit detailed analysis of trends in catch composition given the
unknown portion of catches that may have been reported at higher taxonomic levels
or not identified at all. In 2002, about 50 percent of the global inland water catches
were reported as “Freshwater fishes not elsewhere included” (Figure 9). China accounts
for the great majority of reported world catches of freshwater crustaceans (94 percent)
Table 3
Inland capture fisheries production by economic class
Economic class Production in 2002 Percentage of world
production
(million tonnes)
China 2.25 25.7
Other developing countries or areas 5.95 68.1
Economies in transition 0.32 3.6
Industrialized countries 0.22 2.5
Total 8.74