OVER 80% OF FISH LANDINGS COME FROM SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

Over 80% of fish landings come from sustainable fisheries. 82.5% of the fish landed globally in 2019 came from populations at levels of biological sustainability, which represents an increase of 3.8% compared to 2017 and 64.6% of the fish stocks enjoyed this same level . This is stated in the SOFIA 2022 report on the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, which the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) made public recently within the framework of the World Oceans Conference.

The biannual FAO report updates the data on the state of fishery resources and shows that, at a global level, fishery stocks were at levels of biological sustainability (64.6%) , the result of the sum of the stocks that are fished within the levels of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and underexploited stocks , which represent 57.3% and 7.2%, respectively. On the other hand, overexploited stocks stood at 35.4% in 2019, (34.22% in 2017).

FAO highlights and describes as an encouraging sign that sustainably fished stocks represent 82.5% of the total volume of landings in 2019 (3.8% growth compared to 2017); a progression indicating that larger populations are being managed more effectively.

In 2019, among the 16 FAO main fishing areas, the Southeast Pacific (Area 87) registers the highest percentage (66.7%) of overexploited stocks, followed by the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (Area 37) with 63 .4% and Southwest Atlantic (Area 41) with 40%. In contrast, the Northeast Pacific (Area 67), the Eastern Central Pacific (Area 77), the Western Central Pacific (Area 71), and the Western South Pacific (Area 81) have the lowest proportion (13-23%) of overexploited stocks.

SOFIA 2022 also notes the growing contribution of fishery products to nutrition and food security. In fact, according to the director-general of the FAO, Qu Dongyu:

“the growth of fisheries and aquaculture is vital to ending hunger and malnutrition in the world.” To that end, according to Qu Dognyu, “we must transform agri-food systems to ensure sustainable production while safeguarding resources and protecting habitats and marine biodiversity.”

According to the report, the world production of fishery products in 2020 stood at 177.8 million tons, of which 90.3 million correspond to capture fisheries (78.8 million tons of marine fishing and 11.5 million tons of freshwater fish). Aquaculture, for its part, contributed 87.5 million tons. This means that, in 2020, the production of fishery products was 30% higher than the average of the 2000s and 60% higher than the average of the 1990s . The report projects that the total production of fishery products will reach 202 million tons in 2030.

Regarding world production, it should be noted that the reduction in capture fishing in 2020 (in 2018 it reached the highest level recorded with 96.4 million tons), was mainly motivated by the Covid-19 pandemic , which severely interrupted fishing activities, market access and sales, as well as the reduction in catches from China and the drop in anchoveta catches in line with its natural fluctuation.

In 2020, Asian countries accounted for 70% of world fisheries and aquaculture production , followed by countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania. China remains the main producer (11.77 million tons in 2020 and 15% of world production), followed by Indonesia, Peru, Russia, the United States, India and Vietnam. For its part, Spain, with 800,000 tons (1% of world production), remains in twentieth position in the ranking of producers .

In terms of world consumption of fishery products, it has also grown, reaching 20.2 kg per capita, more than double the consumption recorded in the 1960s. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020, more than 157 million tons or 89% of the production of fishery products were destined for direct human consumption , a volume slightly higher than in 2018. Thus, fishery products contributed around 17% of the animal proteins consumed in 2019 and were consumption is expected to increase by 15% to reach an average of 21.4 kg per capita by 2030.

The SOFIA report also shows the contribution of fisheries and aquaculture to employment, trade and economic development, and calls for a “Blue Transformation” to maximize this contribution without going beyond ecological limits . The total first-sales value of fisheries and aquaculture production in 2020 is estimated at US$406 billion, of which US$141 billion is from capture fisheries . For its part, the value of international trade in fishery and aquaculture products stands at 151,000 million dollars .

Regarding employment, 58.5 million people work in the small-scale and aquaculture sector worldwide , of which around 21% are women; and it is estimated that the lives and livelihoods of around 600 million people depend in some way on fisheries and aquaculture .

According to Javier Garat, general secretary of Cepesca and president of Europêche:

“it has been shown that fishery products are the healthiest source of protein with the lowest carbon footprint and, instead of new obstacles and limitations without scientific arguments, the sector needs the essential nature of their work is recognised and the development of their activity is facilitated, guaranteeing, of course, the protection of the seas and oceans. For this, Garat adds, the fishing sector undertook decades ago the blue transformation that FAO promotes, supported by science and technology”.

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