Recent Trends in Global and European Fisheries
Bio-Resources from the Oceans Berlin, 28-29 Nov 2011
Rainer Froese, IFM-GEOMAR
Overview
• Status and trends in global fish stocks
• Status and trends in European fish stocks
• Comments on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
• Summary
Status and Trends
in Global Fish Stocks
Fish Used to Be Big..
.. and numerous
Development of the fishery
1376 First bottom trawls
1880 – Steam engine replaces sails and men
Modern fishery: huge
trawls can be operated
anywhere
The Atlantic Dawn (now Annelies Ilena), built with European subsidies and operated from Ireland and the
Netherlands, is the largest trawler of the World, with 144 m length, 14,000 HP, and 63 crew members,
operating off West-Africa. She may catch during one trip as much as 7000 African fishers in one year.
Destruction of the Seafloor
Photos: Dr. K. Sainsbury, CSIRO
before
after
The trails of otter boards
courtesy F. Grassle
Shrimp Fishers off China
QuickBird satellite on 20 February 2003, off the coast of
Jiangsu province near the mouth of the Yangtze River
In the Gulf of Mexico
Photo courtesy of Dr.
Kyle van Houten
(Duke University)
(t/km
2)
Biomass of commercial fish1900 Christensen et al. 2003
and in 2000…. Christensen et al. 2003
Catch per 100 Hooks
1952 - 1980
Blue Marlin Swordfish
Bluefin Tuna
Mahi mahi
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Source: Myers and Worm 2003.
Nature 423: 280-283
Trends in Global Fish Stocks
Froese & Kesner-Reyes 2002, Worm et al. 2006, Froese et al. 2008, Froese et al. submitted
About 1/3 of global catches are reduced
to fish meal and fish oil
Status and Trends
in European Fish Stocks
Ray Beverton and Sidney Holt 1957
Founders of modern fisheries science
Three Terms
• Biomass (B) is the body weight of the fish in the water
• MSY is the Maximum Sustainable Yield that
can be taken from a population (=stock) of fish indefinitely
• B msy is the biomass that a fish stock must have,
so that it can deliver the maximum sustainable
yield MSY
Legal Background
• The Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982), in force since 1994, requires countries to maintain stocks in
their EEZ such that they can produce MSY
• The precautionary principle is contained in the EU-Contract. It requires that in case of
uncertainty, the less dangerous margin of error has to be used as target. This is explicitly
applicable to the use of natural resources.
• So far, UNCLOS has been implemented only by New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
• And Europe?
50
How does European Fisheries Management work (until 2009) ?
• Scientists advise catch levels that just prevent the collapse of the stocks
• The European Commission—after interventions of
‘stake holders’—proposes slightly higher catches
• The 27 European Ministers of Agriculture decide
catches that are on average 48% above the scientific advice
• Fishers exceed the allowed catches by up to 40%
(through discards)
Biomass Reference Points
Cod, Eastern Baltic
Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010
Biomass and Yield of Eastern Baltic Cod
Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010
Status of European Fish Stocks
54
Landings from ICES 2010, MSY from Froese and Proelß 2010
Fishing Mortality of European Fish Stocks
Average fishing pressure on European fish stocks. The lower arrow indicates the path if 75% of the stocks were to be fished at the maximum sustainable rate in 2015. However, with the trend since 2000, that target will be missed by more than 30 years.
Froese and Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010
UNCLOS CFP FAO/UNFSA JPOI Damanaki
Why Should Europe Care about Global Fisheries?
• 42% of the global trade in fish and fish products is imported by Europe
• A CFP reform that correctly implements the Law of the Sea, such as done by USA, NZ and AUS, will force others to follow
• A failed CFP reform will encourage continued overfishing, in Europe and globally
• US$ 1.2 billion European fish exports into the USA will be endangered
56
Comments on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy
• The Commission has published in 2009 a
Green Book that correctly names most of the problems and issues to be dealt with
• The Commission has published in 2011 a
reform proposal that tackles many, but not all
of the issues
Two ‚Make-or-Break‘ Issues in the EC Reform Proposal
Positive: Stocks are to be maintained ABOVE levels that can produce the maximum
sustainable yield MSY
Status of European Stocks
Froese et al. 2010 Fish and Fisheries
Below MSY Level
• Stressed ecosystems
• Small fish
• Small stock size
• High fluctuations
• Low, uncertain catch
• High effort /cost
• Low / no profit
• Low impact impossible
• Subsidies necessary
• Social status low (exploiters)
Above MSY Level
• Healthy ecosystems
• Large fish
• Large stock sizes
• Low fluctuations
• High, certain catch
• Low effort /cost
• High profit
• Low impact possible
• Subsidies not necessary
• Social status high (custodians)
60
Two ‚Make-or-Break‘ Issues in the EC Reform Proposal
Positive: Stocks are to be maintained ABOVE levels that can produce the maximum
sustainable yield MSY.
Negative: The Council of Ministers continues to fix annual fishing opportunities.
Rather, the Councils should only fix long-term
mangement plans.
Summary
• Despite positive developments in NZ, Australia, USA, and some EU stocks, the number of collapsed stocks continues to rise globally
• In Europe, overfishing continues in many stocks, even if these are outside of safe biological limits
• The CFP reform proposal of the Commission is a major step in the right direction: its positive
elements need to be defended, its major
shortcoming (micro-management) needs to be fixed
Refs and Acknowledgements
• Froese, R., D. Zeller, K. Kleisner and D. Pauly. Submitted. What catch data can tell us about the status of global fisheries.
• Pauly, D. and R. Froese. In press. Comments on FAO's State of Fisheries and Aquaculture, or 'SOFIA 2010'. Marine Policy.
• Froese, R. and M. Quaas. 2011. Three options for rebuilding the cod stock in the eastern Baltic Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 434:197-2011.
• Froese, R. 2011. Fishery reform slips through the net. Nature 475:7
• Froese, R., T.A. Branch, A. Proelß, M. Quaas, K. Sainsbury and C. Zimmermann. 2011. Generic harvest control rules for European fisheries. Fish and Fisheries 12:340-351
• Khalilian, S., R. Froese, A. Proelss, T. Requate. 2010. Designed for Failure: A Critique of the Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union. Marine Policy 34:1178-1182
• Froese, R. and A. Proelß. 2010. Rebuilding fish stocks no later than 2015: will Europe meet the deadline? Fish and Fisheries 11:194-202
• Froese, R., A. Stern-Pirlot and K. Kesner-Reyes. 2008. Out of new stocks in 2020: a comment on “Not all fisheries will be collapsed in 2048”. Marine Policy 33:180-181
• Froese, R., A. Stern-Pirlot, H. Winker and D. Gascuel. 2008. Size Matters: How Single-Species Management Can Contribute To Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management. Fisheries Research 92:231-241
• Froese, R. 2004. Keep it simple: three indicators to deal with overfishing. Fish and Fisheries 5:86-91
• Froese, R. and S. Luna. 2004. No Relationship between Fecundity and Annual Reproductive Rate in Bony Fish.
Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria 34(1):11-20
• Froese, R. and K. Kesner-Reyes. 2002. Impact of fishing on the abundance of marine species. ICES CM 2002/L:12, 15 p.
