Fish represents a major component of the food supply for the world’s population. It makes a very significant contribution to the diet of many fish consuming communities in both the developed and developing world. It is accounting for almost
one-fifth of all animal protein in the human diet. Fisheries and Aquaculture remain very important to many countries and communities as a source of food, employment and revenue.
Although fish is a renewable resource, it is also destructible. Current fishing levels and methods place significant pressure on world fisheries and marine ecosystems. [...]
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Facts about fish
3. Capture fisheries
3.1. Definition of capture fisheries
3.2. Facts about marine capture fishery
3.3. Declining world fish stocks
3.4. Policies concerning fisheries
3.4.1. The 200 mile exclusive fishing zone
3.4.2. Law of the Sea 3.4.3. The UN Agreement
3.4.4. Regional Fisheries Organizations
4.Aquaculture
4.1. Definition
4.2. Facts about Aquculture
4.3. Is Aquaculture a solution?
4.4. Combined rice/fish cultivation
5. Outlook
Table of literature
Table of pictures
Picture 1-1 World fish stocks
Picture 1-2 Worldwide Regional Fisheries Organizations
Picture 1-3 Aquaculture production in marine and inland waters
1. Introduction
Fish represents a major component of the food supply for the world’s population.
It makes a very significant contribution to the diet of many fish consuming communities in both the developed and developing world. It is accounting for almost one-fifth of all animal protein in the human diet.
Fisheries and Aquaculture remain very important to many countries and communities as a source of food, employment and revenue.
Although fish is a renewable resource, it is also destructible. Current fishing levels and methods place significant pressure on world fisheries and marine ecosystems.
2. Facts about fish
It is estimated that there is more than 28,000 different fish species existing worldwide. The largest fish is the whale shark, which grows to more than 15 meter in length and may weigh several tons. The smallest fish is the tiny goby, an inhabitant of fresh-to-brackish-water lakes in Luzon, Phillippines. On the picture below you can see a basking shark.
It is the second biggest fish and may measure 12 meter in length.
3. Capture fisheries
3.1. Definition of capture fisheries
The definition of capture fisheries is “The capture of fish in their natural environment”. You have to differentiate between marine fishery and inland fishery. The term "marine waters" is intended to refer to oceans and seas including adjacent saltwater areas.
The term "inland waters" may be used to refer to lakes, rivers, brooks, streams, ponds, inland canals, dams, and other land-locked (usually freshwater) waters.
Furthermore it is also possible to differentiate between commercial or industrial fishery and sport- and recreational fishery.
3.2. Facts about marine capture fishery
Asia accounts for the greatest share of the world’s fishing fleet with 42 %, followed by the former Soviet Union (30 %), Europe (12 %), North America
(10 %), Africa (3 %), South America (3 %), and Oceania (0.5 %). Six states alone (China, Peru, Japan, Chile, the U.S., and the Russian Federation) harvest fully half of the world’s saltwater catch.
The Northwest and Southeast Pacific are still the most productive marine fishing areas, but total catches in these two areas decreased by 1.8 and 2.0 million tonnes in 2002 compared with 2000 levels. Catches also decreased substantially in the Eastern Central and Southwest Atlantic. Fish catches were only still growing in fishing areas that mostly lie in the tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
In 13 of 17 major ocean fishing areas stocks are in serious trouble. And so fishing nations compete for limited stocks
3.3. Declining world fish stocks
The main reasons for the declining of world fish population are overfishing, incedental catch and other reasons like coastal development, pollution and destructive fishing practises.
Overfishing means that more fish are caught each year than nature can replace. Intense fishing, some by vessels capable of catching over 200,000 kg of fish in one haul of their net, has left many fish species extinct.
In Asia the most majority of the world fishing fleet is concentrated (about 85 % of total decked vessels). Industrial fishing reduced worldwide population of shark, swordfish and tuna by 90 % in the last 20 years.
Almost all commercial fishing for a specific species catches and kills non-target fish too. This is called incidental catch. The ratio of incidental catch, also called bycatch, to target fish can be high as 11:1. Especially shrimp trawl fisheries generate a lot of bycatch.
Fish stocks are also threatened by human beings. 80 % of marine pollution is caused by landbased activities, especially coastal development, oil drilling or dumping of waste.
This have resulted, that 50 % of world fish stocks are fully exploited, 15 % are overfished, 7 % are depleted, and 2 % are recovering from overfishing. Only the remaining 25 % of the main world fish stocks are capable for producing higher yields.
Picture 1-1 World fish stocks
Source: OECD: Environmental Outlook, Paris 2001 (D)
3.4. Policies concerning fisheries
3.4.1. The 200 mile exclusive fishing zone
The 200 mile zone was created by the Council of Ministers with the effect from 1997. The Council of Ministers are called today the Council of the European Union. The 200 mile zone was adjacent to the existing territorial sea, which is with some exceptions, 12 nautic miles for each country.
Denmark and Greece had delimited their territorial seas to 3 and 6 nautical miles.
Within these areas, the countries have exclusive jurisdiction and implement effective management policies.
Member states of the EC established fishing zones extending to 200 miles off the North Sea and Atlantic coasts. However the Council of the European Union made no decision for the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea regions.
There are existing Exclusive Fishing Zones (EFZ). This zone claims an exclusive competence in fisheries matters independently from their territorial sea. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a separate functional zone. Its task is to establish multifunctional nature of the rights accorded to coastal states and it is a comprehensive legal framework with regard to the protection and preservation of the marine environment.
3.4.2. Law of the Sea
“The Law of the Sea” was established on December 10th, 1982 with the result that all states now had the right to fish in deep sea zones wherever they wanted.
Because of the activities of deep sea fisheries the fish amount in 200 mile fishing zones was reduced.
Because of this there was made another agreement which was based on the existing contract. This agreement is called “UN Agreement Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks“ and came to force on December 5th 1995.
3.4.3. The UN Agreement
In New York on 4 August 1995, at the UN Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Species, 112 countries and a consensus in the EU reached an agreement on fisheries on the high seas. The agreement, formed as a binding international convention, supplements the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The agreement consists of 50 articles.The main objects are:
- Prevention, protection and preservation of stock depletion
- Registration of fisheries on vessels at sea to establish actions which allow to check the fisheries on vessels
- Establishment of Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs)
3.4.4. Regional Fisheries Organizations
There are a lot of regional fishing organizations existing worldwide. The European Community has a number of 9 regional fisheries organizations.
The regional fisheries organizations have the task to regulate, generally in form of restrictions:
- how fish may be caught
- which fish may be caught
- when fish may be caught
- where fish may be caught
- how many fish may be caught
Picture 1-2 Worldwide Regional Fisheries Organizations
Source: http://www.fao.org/fi/body/rfb/index.htm
4. Aquaculture
4.1. Definition
Aquaculture is the raising of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions.
4.2. Facts about Aquculture
Aquaculture production increased from 3.9 % of total production by weight in 1970 to 29.9 % in 2002. Aquaculture continues to grow more rapidly than all other animal food-producing sectors. In 2002, total world aquaculture production was reported to be 51.4million tonnes by quantity and US$60.0 billion by value. Most aquaculture production of fish, crustaceans and molluscs continues to come from the freshwater environment (57.7 % by quantity and 48.4 % by value). Mariculture contributes 36.5 % of production and 35.7 % of the total value.
Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten
Picture 1-3 Aquaculture production in marine and inland waters
Source: http://www.fao.org/sof/sofia/index_en.htm
In 2002 were over 220 different farmed aquatic animal and plant species reported. However the top ten species account for 69 % of total production, and the top 25 species for over 90 %.
The centre of aquaculture is China. Of the world total, China is reported to produce 71.2 % of the total quantity and 54.7 % of the total value of aquaculture production.
4.3. Is Aquaculture a solution?
Policy makers and fisheries managers often see aquaculture as an alternative to capture fisheries.
And for sure the benefits of aquaculture are many. Some are obvious economic benefits, such as increased food production, more jobs, and earnings from goods and services. Furthermore the alternative of cultured products can alleviate fishing pressure on some overfished stocks.
However there are some critical aspects to consider as well.
Ironically, aquaculture can actually increase pressure on wild stocks. Some concerns focus on potential environmental and ecological risks. For example, crossbreeding between wild stocks and escaped domestic strains of fish could weaken the genetic makeup of wild populations.
The risk of disease can be increased in farmed fish cultivated in confined areas.
Fish farming can also result in water contaminated with food and fecal wastes and with the chemicals and drugs used to prevent and treat disease.
4.4. Combined rice/fish cultivation
Combined rice/fish cultivation is a interesting example for a highly efficient agricultural and aquacultural practise. It's an extremely efficient way of using the same land to produce both carbohydrates, in the grain, and animal protein, in the fish.
But there are also a lot of other advantages. To feed the fish supplemental food is not necessary, because you can simply rely on the aquatic plants and animals naturally occurring in the field.
And the fish help control weeds by eating or uprooting them. Furthermore fish also feed on insect and snail pests. For this reason pesticide use on rice/fish farms is greatly reduced, if not eliminated totally.
The fish may also play an important role in the nutrient cycle of the rice field, increasing its fertility while reducing fertilizer requirements.
This practice has great potential for food security and poverty alleviation, especially in more remote areas.
It not only results in new yields of fish protein and reduced input costs, it actually produces better yields of grain. For example in Bangladesh, the net return from rice/fish farms was over 50 % greater than in rice monoculture. In China, the increase ranged from 45 to 270 %, and growing fish with rice was almost three times more profitable than just growing rice alone.
5. Outlook
Developing countries (particularly Asian countries) will dominate food fish production, from both capture fisheries and aquaculture.
Most if not alle future growth in the fisheries sector will come from aquaculture. For this reason the developing aquaculture industry in coastal and offshore federal waters should be sustainable and environmentally compatible.
Environmental controversy will continue. Hopefully sustainability concerns will increase and motivate environmental regulations and institutions, first in developed countries and then in developing countries.
Overfishing will remain a major concern, but with a better fishery management capture fish harvest could increase by an additional 18 million tonnes.
However to realise such a result, significant policy actions will be needed.
Table of literature
- Turner, R. Kerry; Pearce, David; Bateman, Ian: Environmental Economics, New York 1994 (A)
- James R. Kahn: The Economic Approach to Environmental and Natural resources, 2nd Edition, Fort Worth 1998 (B)
- Tietenberg, Tom: Environmental and Natural Resources Economics, Sixth Edition, Boston 2003 (C)
- OECD: Environmental Outlook, Paris 2001 (D)
- http://www.fao.org/docrep/T8598E/t8598e00.htm#Contents
- http://www.fao.org/fi/nems/news/detail_news.asp?lang=en&event_id=31440
- http://www.fao.org/fi/body/rfb/index.htm
- http://www.fao.org/sof/sofia/index_en.htm
- http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_fish_stocks.htm
- http://www.intfish.net/treaties/index.htm
- http://www.noaa.gov/fisheries.html
- http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/
- http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture.htm
- http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/legislation.htm
- www.fishtech.com/farming.html
- www.oceanlegacy.org/facts.html
- http://www.wob.nf.ca/News/2001/the%20great%20leap.htm
- http://www.oceansatlas.org/unatlas_gifs/offsiteframe.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fao.org%2Ffi%2Fbody%2Fbody.asp&ctn=2940&kot=web-sites
Frequently asked questions
What is the main topic of this document?
This document provides a comprehensive overview of fisheries and aquaculture, including capture fisheries, aquaculture practices, relevant policies, and future outlooks.
What are capture fisheries, according to this document?
Capture fisheries refer to the capture of fish in their natural environment, distinguishing between marine and inland fisheries, as well as commercial/industrial and sport/recreational fisheries.
What are some of the facts about marine capture fisheries presented here?
Asia accounts for the largest share of the world's fishing fleet, and a small number of states harvest a significant portion of the global saltwater catch. Several major ocean fishing areas are facing declining fish stocks.
What are the primary reasons for declining world fish stocks?
The key reasons include overfishing, incidental catch (bycatch), coastal development, pollution, and destructive fishing practices.
What is overfishing as defined in the document?
Overfishing occurs when more fish are caught each year than can be naturally replaced, leading to a reduction in fish populations.
What is "incidental catch" or "bycatch"?
Incidental catch refers to the non-target fish that are caught and killed during commercial fishing operations, often with a high ratio to the target fish, especially in shrimp trawl fisheries.
What policies concerning fisheries are mentioned?
The document discusses the 200-mile exclusive fishing zone, the Law of the Sea, the UN Agreement relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs).
What is the purpose of the 200-mile exclusive fishing zone?
The 200-mile zone grants countries exclusive jurisdiction over fisheries within that area, allowing them to implement management policies.
What is the role of Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs)?
RFOs regulate various aspects of fishing, including what, when, where, and how much fish can be caught.
What is aquaculture according to this document?
Aquaculture is the raising of aquatic animals and plants under controlled conditions.
What are some key facts about aquaculture?
Aquaculture production has increased significantly and now accounts for a substantial portion of total fish production. China is a major aquaculture producer.
Is aquaculture a solution to overfishing?
While aquaculture can increase food production and alleviate pressure on wild stocks, it can also have negative environmental and ecological impacts, such as increasing pressure on wild stocks, the risk of disease, and water contamination.
What is combined rice/fish cultivation?
Combined rice/fish cultivation is an efficient practice where rice and fish are raised in the same land, providing both carbohydrates and animal protein, reducing pesticide use, and potentially increasing rice yields.
What is the outlook for fisheries and aquaculture?
Developing countries will likely dominate food fish production, with most future growth coming from aquaculture. Environmental concerns will continue to be a significant factor, and overfishing will remain a major issue requiring policy actions.
- Quote paper
- Diplom-Betriebswirtin (FH) Claudia Körber (Author), 2005, Facts about Fisheries an Aquaculture, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/110310
