Abstract
Global fisheries landings data from a range of public sources was harmonised and mapped to 30-min spatial cells based on the distribution of the reported taxa and the fishing fleets involved. This data was extended to include the associated fishing gear used, as well as estimates of illegal, unregulated and unreported catch (IUU) and discards at sea. Expressed as catch rates, these results also separated small-scale fisheries from other fishing operations. The dataset covers 1950 to 2014 inclusive. Mapped catch allows study of the impacts of fisheries on habitats and fauna, on overlap with the diets of marine birds and mammals, and on the related use of fuels and release of greenhouse gases. The fine-scale spatial data can be aggregated to the exclusive economic zone claims of countries and will allow study of the value of landed marine products to their economies and food security, and to those of their trading partners.
Highlights
Background & SummaryFishing operations span the globe and occur in all but the deepest and most remote places in global oceans[1,2]
Fishing remains central to the food security of many countries
Input data were collected via the Internet from a range of public sources (Table 1)
Summary
Background & SummaryFishing operations span the globe and occur in all but the deepest and most remote places in global oceans[1,2]. Some like the FAO’s dataset are global landing compilations from national contributions; others like the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) can be more detailed including catch and effort distribution focused on one particular area and vary in their coverage of fished taxa (e.g., ICES, NAFO and some tuna RFMOs).
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