Wild caught in numbers

Capture or wild caught fisheries are characterized by a wide diversification that reflects the purpose of each fishing sector and its adaptation to regional, economic and cultural factors. This type of fishing is carried out in artisanal, industrial and recreational marine and freshwater environments. This activity may be carried out through the use of fishing vessels, while others may be carried out on land.

Catches may be used exclusively by fishermen and their families or traded between communities or markets. In addition, in some cases, they may be integrated with aquaculture, such as the collection of fish and other aquatic organisms caught in the wild for subsequent rearing in cages or the release of juveniles in restocking operations. Sport and recreational fishing is also included in capture fisheries.

This type of fishing may be characterized by specific activities related to the type of fishing gear and mode of fishing used, the species or group of species targeted or intended, the fishing area (i.e., the area or fishing ground) and the flag of the fishing vessel (if used) or the nationality of the fisherman or fishermen.

Fisheries is an economic sector of society and fisheries statistics are necessary for effective policy making and sectoral planning.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for 2020, world capture fisheries production (excluding seaweed) stood at 90.3 million tonnes, a decrease of 4.0% compared to the average of the previous three years. This decline affected both marine and inland capture fisheries (down 3.9 % and 4.3 %, respectively), and was most likely due to both the disruption of fishing activities resulting from the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) and the continued reduction in catches from China (down 10 % in 2020 compared to the average of the previous three years). The average for 2017-2019 was high due to the peak in 2018 (96.5 million tons), which was due to relatively high anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) catches. However, the long-term trend of the global capture fishery continues to remain relatively stable. Overall, catches have fluctuated between 86 and 93 million tons per year since the late 1980s.

Source FAO

Also FAO notes in its report that China remains the leading producer of capture fisheries, despite the downward revision of its catches in the period 2009-20167 and a decline of about 19.3 % experienced between 2015 and 2020. China accounted for almost 15 % of global catches in 2020, a proportion that exceeds the sum total of the catches of the second and third ranked countries. The top seven capture fisheries producers (China, Indonesia, Peru, India, the Russian Federation, the United States of America and Vietnam) accounted for nearly 49% of total world capture fisheries production, while the top 20 producers accounted for more than 73%.

Source: FAO

What is the purpose of capture fishing?

Capture fisheries statistics are essential as a basis for describing the contribution of fisheries to the national food supply and the economy (e.g., through the system of national economic accounts). Policy development usually has one or more of the following objectives:

• Ensure that exploitation is within sustainable limits and generally in accordance with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

• Sustainable harvesting of aquatic organisms for national requirements

• Developing exports (foreign exchange earnings for the country)

• Improving the socioeconomic conditions of fishermen

• Promote the sustainable expansion of fisheries (improve the country's economy).

The relationships between capture fisheries statistics and essential policy objectives are determining factors in analyzing fisheries information needs. Fishery statistics are also necessary in relation to monitoring, surveillance and control of resource exploitation.

Best practices in fisheries management focus on conservation and sustainability of natural resources through an ecosystem approach, security of food supply, and maximization of economic returns through control of fishing capacity, fishing effort (e.g., temporal/spatial access to resources), and allocation of catch limits and/or quotas. Fisheries statistics, including data on fishers and fishing vessels, are essential for fisheries monitoring and management.

At Pescatore Seafood we are aware that implementing the best practices and controls of a sustainable fishery will ensure that the precious food is distributed worldwide meeting high quality standards, because the world's aquatic food consumption has increased significantly; the world now consumes five times more than it did almost 60 years ago. Consumption increased at an average annual rate of 3.0 % since 1961, compared to a population growth rate of 1.6 %. Per capita consumption was largely influenced by increased supplies, changing consumer preferences, technological advances and income growth.