The development of a new global database of fishing cost is described, and an overview of fishing cost patterns at national, regional, and global scales is provided. This fishing cost database provides economic information required for assessing the economics of fisheries at various scales. It covers variable and fixed costs of maritime countries, representing ∼98% of global landings in 2005. Linked to country and gear-type combinations, cost estimates can be mapped to a database of spatially allocated fisheries catches for future analysis in both spatial and temporal dimensions. The global average variable cost per tonne of catch in 2005 is estimated to range between US$639 and $1217, and the total cost per tonne from $763 to $1477, with mean values of $928 and $1120, respectively. The total global variable fishing cost is estimated to be in the range US$50-96 billion per year, with a mean of $73 billion per annum in 2005 dollar equivalents. © 2011 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	catches; database; fisheries; fishing cost; fixed cost; fuel cost; global cost; sustainability; variable cost; catch composition; construction; cost-benefit analysis; database; estimation method; fishing; gear selectivity; spatiotemporal analysis
Research Division:	Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries Sciences
Research Field:	Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment
Objective Division:	Animal Production and Animal Primary Products
Objective Group:	Fisheries - Wild Caught
Objective Field:	Wild Caught Fin Fish (excl. Tuna)
UTAS Author:	Watson, RA (Professor Reginald Watson)
ID Code:	83630
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	49
Deposited By:	Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration
Deposited On:	2013-03-20
Last Modified:	2017-11-03
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