World leaders tackle declining fish stocks

A UN conference on the worldÕs oceans is warning that the number of stocks being caught unsustainably is continuing to rise Ð even though overall sea-fishing levels remain steady for the past three decades

GLOBAL FISH PRODUCTION (tonnes millions)

70 80 90 2000 2014

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

GLOBAL MARINE FISH STOCKS (Percentage)

Caught Farmed

1974 1984 1994 2004 2013

0 20 40 60 80 100

UnderÞshed Fully Þshed OverÞshed

GLOBAL FISH TAKES (2014)

Major fishing areas (tonnes m)

0 1 2 4 8 14 24

2013: 32% of fish stocks being exploited beyond sustainable limit, up from 10% in 1970s

Pacific Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Mediterranean and Black Sea

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Total: 81.6m tonnes

TOP TEN PRODUCERS (2014) (tonnes m)

China Indonesia U.S. Russia Japan Peru India Vietnam Myanmar Norway

14.8 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.6 3.5 2.7 2.7 2.3

0 3 6 9 12 15

Sources: The state of world fisheries and aquaculture 2016 - FAO, The Economist

Picture: Getty Images