Fisheries and Aquaculture Management

Lecture 1:

Introduction to Fisheries Resources

Fisheries and aquaculture are an important sources for food and livelihoods for people along the world’s seashores and waterways and influence the livelihoods for more than one billion people.

The total supply of seafood increased from 69.0 million tonnes in 1976 to 142 million tonnes in 2008 (FAO, 2011).

Seafood appears from two main modes of production – harvest and aquaculture.

Capture fisheries production is the largest.

Introduction

In 1970 aquaculture production was still rather miniscule with a produced quantity of about 3.5 million tonnes, representing 5.1% of total seafood supply.

In 2006, aquaculture made up 41.8% of total seafood supply with a production of 66.7 million tonnes.

The increased production in aquaculture is accordingly the only reason why global seafood supply has continued to increase since 1990.

The increased production has been sufficient to not only maintain, but also to slightly increase global per capita consumption of seafood.

Introduction

Source: FAO

Figure 1. Global production of seafood, 1970-2008. Million tonnes

Table 1. Largest seafood importing and exporting countries in 2006 (Values in Million USD)

Export Value Import value

Country Value Percent Country Value Percent

China 9150.3 10.6 % Japan 14258.7 15.7 %

Norway 5543.7 6.4 % USA 13399.7 14.8 %

Thailand 5244.9 6.1 % Spain 6377.8 7.0 %

USA 4190.1 4.9 % France 5108.7 5.6 %

Denmark 3999.1 4.6 % Italy 4745.6 5.2 %

Canada 3682.8 4.3 % China 4188.5 4.6 %

Chile 3638.9 4.2 % Germany 3778.6 4.2 %

Viet Nam 3363.4 3.9 % United Kingdom 3751.9 4.1 %

Spain 2871.9 3.3 % Denmark 2939.0 3.2 %

Netherlands 2827.2 3.3 % Korea, Republic of 2767.9 3.0 %

Source: FAO

OVERVIEW OF WORLD FISHERIES

I. Major Fisheries - By Fish

II. Major Fisheries - By Nation

III.Major Fisheries - By Ocean

IV.Possible Future Fisheries

V. Economic Values

Capture Fishery Production from 1993 to 2002.

Capture Fishery Production from 1993 to 2002.

Major Fisheries - by Fish• Peruvian Anchovy

• Alaskan Pollock

• Skipjack Tuna

• Capelin• Atlantic Herring

• Japanese Anchovy

• Chilean Jack Mackerel

• Blue Whiting

Historical Catches of: (A) Peruvian Anchovy; (B) Alaska Pollock; (C) Skipjack Tuna; and (D) Capelin.

Peruvian Anchovy

• Not heavily fished until the 1950s

• Susceptible to disruptions

• By 1970, the largest fishery in the world

Alaskan Pollock

• Not heavily fished until the 1960s

• Overfishing a real concern

• Improvements in processing ability were important

• Monitoring and managing techniques may be improving

Skipjack Tuna

• Another recently developed fishery

• This resource may be underutilized

• Catches are trending upwards

• Monitoring and managing techniques are a challenge

Capelin

• Yet another recently developed fishery

• An equlibrium may be being attained

• An early peak, a characteristic of some new fisheries

• This fishery is dominated by two relatively cooperative countries

The bulk of the capelin catch goes for reduction into meal and oil, which is mostly used for production of animal feed, including salmon feed. But a part of the catch finds a market outlet in Japan where capelin is a popular snack and capelin roe is sought-after in Japan for its alleged aphrodisiac properties.

Capelin are members of the Osmeridae family of smelts. They are known as sparling in England. Capelin are slender translucent olive colored, small-scaled fish that grow to a maximum length of 25 cm (10 in). Capelin was once the primary food of cod in the North Atlantic. When the cod population diminished the capelin population increased dramatically. The species is found from the surface and down to depths of 300 metres.

During spawning, the male holds on tightly to the female with its pectoral and ventral fins and swims down towards the bottom. The majority die after spawning and only a few live to spawn a second time.

Figure 3.3. Historical Catches of: (A) Atlantic Herring; (B) Japanese Anchovy; (C) Chilean Jack Mackerel; and (D) Blue Whiting.

Atlantic Herring

• An old fishery - based on gill netting

• Effective management may result in a stable fishery

• Introduction of purse seine technology resulted in increased but unsustainable yields

Japanese Anchovy

• A fishery with a long history of catch records

• Current high catch may not be sustainable

• Stable until the entry of the Chinese into the fishery

Japanese Anchovy

• A fishery with a long history of catch records

• Current high catch may not be sustainable

• Stable until the entry of the Chinese into the fishery

• “Alternatively, current high catch may not be real”

Chilean Jack Mackerel

• This fishery began with the collapse of the Peruvian Anchovy

• It was subject to initial overexploitation

• The current yield may be sustainable;Stable at 2 million tonnes from2002 through 2008

Blue Whiting

• A relatively recent fishery

• Unregulated until recently

• Recent increases in catch are recognized as unsustainable

Blue Whiting

• 2005. EU, Faeroes, Iceland, Norway,agree on a management plan

• A limit of 2 million tonnes set for 2006

• Agreement on reduced limits, to540,000 tonnes by 2010

Blue Whiting

• Until these multi-national agreements,Blue Whiting was exclusively usedfor reduction, to fish oil and animalfeed.

• With the new, lower, catch limits, attempts are being made to “add value” to this fishery.

Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou). Length to 30-35 cm. Weight 150-300 grams.