Is the planet approaching its maximum level of fishing capacity? Not so fast, says a study



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Rome, 9 July (elmundo.cr) – World fish production will continue to increase over the next decade, despite the fact that the amount of fish caught in the wild has stabilized and is Aquaculture growth – which was previously exponential – is now slowing down, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The latest edition of The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) reports that by 2030, the combined production of capture fisheries and aquaculture will reach 201 million tons.

This is an 18% increase from the current production level of 171 million tonnes

But Future Growth Will Require Continued Efforts to Strengthen Fisheries Management Regimes , reduce losses and waste, and tackle problems such as illegal fishing, pollution According to the report, the fisheries sector is essential to achieving FAO's objective of 39, a world without hunger and malnutrition, and its contribution to economic growth and the fight against poverty. "However, he added, the sector is not without challenges, including the need to reduce the percentage of fish stocks caught. Beyond biological sustainability. "

Trends in the World Fish Supply

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture notes that in 2016, 90.9 million fish were caught in the wild tons of fish – a slight decrease of 2 million tons compared to the previous year – mainly due to periodic fluctuations of the Peruvian anchovy populations badociated with the El episode Niño. [19659002] In general, the amount of fish caught in the wild has stabilized since the 1990s and has remained largely stable since then.

Despite this, the world has consumed quantities every time fish for decades – 20.4 kg per capita in 2016 against just under 10 kg / capita in the 1960s – largely due to the increase in aquaculture production, a sector that is rapidly developed during the 1980s and 1990s

In 2016, aquaculture production reached 80 million tonnes, according to SOFIA 2018, contributing 53 percent of all fish destined for human consumption.

The growth of aquaculture has slowed down: it has grown at an annual rate of 5.8% between 2010 and 2016, compared with 10% in the 1980s and 1990s, and will continue to increase over the next few years. decades, especially in Africa. [19659002] Efforts to reduce the amount of fish discarded at sea or discarded after capture – for example, using discards and cuttings to produce fishmeal – will also help to cover the continued increase in Demand for Fishery Products

Status of Natural Fish Stocks

Approximately 59.9% of the major fish species traded by FAO are currently fished at biologically sustainable levels, with 33.1% 100 are caught at biologically unsustainable levels, a situation that SOFIA 2018 describes as "disturbing".

Only 40 years ago, 90 percent of FAO's fisheries were exploited at biologically sustainable levels, and only 10 percent were fished in an unsustainable manner.

These trends do not necessarily mean that progress has not been made towards achieving the goal of sustainable development. the 14th, which urges the international community to effectively regulate fishing and overfishing, illegal fishing and destructive fishing practices, and to implement science-based management plans that focus on rebuilding fish stocks.

FAO warns that the world has used uneven strategies to achieve sustainable fisheries, exacerbating overfishing and the state of stocks – too many boats chasing very few fish – in developing countries, offsets the improvement of fisheries management. Status of Fish Stocks in Developed Countries

Addressing this situation will require effective partnerships, particularly in policy coordination, the mobilization of financial and human resources and the deployment of advanced technologies (eg fishing )

Other Challenges

Climate Change and Pollution Are Also

Although research suggests that climate change may result in less than 10 percent change in world global catches of fish, significant changes are expected in places where fishing takes place, warns SOFIA. 2018. Catches are expected to decline in many tropical fisheries-dependent areas and increase in temperate northern areas.

Changes in the distribution of fisheries will have important operational, management and jurisdictional implications, the report says. It will be necessary to study to develop strategies that allow fishing and exploited species to adapt without difficulty to climate change.

Greater collaboration will also be needed to address the remaining problems of abandoned fishing gear and pollution. by microplastics cause in aquatic ecosystems. Priority should be given to preventive measures that reduce marine litter and microplastics, to efforts to update recycling plans in "circular savings", as well as to the phasing out of single-use plastic, according to the FAO report.

Key figures for the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018

• Total world fish production in 2016: 171 million tonnes

• Volume from the fishery marine catch: 79.3 million tonnes

• Volume of freshwater fisheries: 11.6 million tonnes

• Quantity obtained from aquaculture: 80 million tonnes

• Quantity of production consumed by humans as food: 151.2 million tonnes

• Quantity of production lost by waste and / or discarded after landing and before consumption: 27 percent of all landings.

• First sales value of all fisheries and aquaculture production in 2016: US $ 362 billion

• Aquaculture share: US $ 232 billion

• Number of persons employed in fisheries and aquaculture: 59.6 million

• Percentage of women: 14%

• Region with the largest number of fishers and fish farmers: Asia (85% of total) [19659002] • Number of fishing vessels on the planet: 4.6 million

• Largest fleet by region: Asia (3.3 million vessels, 75% of world fleet)

• Percentage of production Fish Trade in International Trade: 35

• Value of Fish Production Exports: US $ 143 Billion

• Net Export Receipts for Developing Countries (US $ 37 Billion) ), exceeding those of their exports c common meat, tobacco or rice and sugar

• The largest producer and exporter of fish in the world: China

• The largest consumer market for fish and fish products in the world. world: the European Union. Second place: the United States; third: Japan

• Major unsustainable fisheries: Mediterranean and Black Sea (62.2% of overexploited populations), Southeast Pacific (61.5%), Southwest Atlantic (58.8%)

• Main Sustainable Fisheries: Central-East, West-Central, North-East, Northwest and South-East Pacific (<17% of over-exploited populations)

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