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Evolution of global marine fishing fleets and the response of fished resources
Citation
Rousseau, Y and Watson, RA and Blanchard, JL and Fulton, EA, Evolution of global marine fishing fleets and the response of fished resources, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, 116, (25) pp. 12238-12243. ISSN 0027-8424 (2019) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2019 The Authors
DOI: doi:10.1073/pnas.1820344116
Abstract
Previous reconstructions of marine fishing fleets have aggregated
data without regard to the artisanal and industrial sectors. Engine
power has often been estimated from subsets of the developed
world, leading to inflated results. We disaggregated data into
three sectors, artisanal (unpowered/powered) and industrial, and
reconstructed the evolution of the fleet and its fishing effort. We
found that the global fishing fleet doubled between 1950 and
2015 – from 1.7 to 3.7 million vessels. This has been driven by
substantial expansion of the motorized fleet, particularly of the
powered-artisanal fleet. By 2015, 68% of the global fishing fleet
was motorized. While the global fleet is dominated by small powered
vessels under 50kW, they contribute only 27% of the global
engine power, which has increased from 25 to 145GW (combined
powered-artisanal and industrial fleets). Alongside an expansion
of the fleets, the effective catch per unit of effort (CPUE) has
consistently decreased since 1950, showing the increasing pressure
of fisheries on the ocean resources. The effective CPUE of most
countries in 2015 was a fifth of its 1950’s value, which was compared
to a global decline of abundance. There are signs, however,
of stabilization and more effective management in recent years
with a reduction in fleet sizes in developed countries.Based on
historical patterns, and allowing for the slowing rate of expansion,
one million more motorized vessels could join the global fleet by
mid-century, as developing countries continue to transition away
from subsistence fisheries, challenging sustainable use of fisheries
resources.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | global fisheries, fishing effort, catch per unit of effort, fishing power, artisanal, industrial |
| Research Division: | Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences |
| Research Group: | Fisheries sciences |
| Research Field: | Fisheries management |
| Objective Division: | Animal Production and Animal Primary Products |
| Objective Group: | Fisheries - wild caught |
| Objective Field: | Wild caught fin fish (excl. tuna) |
| UTAS Author: | Rousseau, Y (Dr Yannick Rousseau) |
| UTAS Author: | Watson, RA (Professor Reginald Watson) |
| UTAS Author: | Blanchard, JL (Professor Julia Blanchard) |
| UTAS Author: | Fulton, EA (Dr Elizabeth Fulton) |
| ID Code: | 132922 |
| Year Published: | 2019 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 69 |
| Deposited By: | Fisheries and Aquaculture |
| Deposited On: | 2019-05-28 |
| Last Modified: | 2020-01-14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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