Marine Fish Catch Research Articles

Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Marine Fish Caught from the Northwest Persian Gulf.

Marine fish may become contaminated as a result of environmental pollution including hazardous metals. Due to the presence of metalloids and toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc in fish tissue, it may endanger health, considering the countless benefits of consuming fish, which can harm the human body if consumed in toxic amounts. Therefore, it is vital to monitor the concentration of metals in fish meat to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and protect the consumer. We considered the levels of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd in 60 marine fish samples (3 species) collected from coastal areas of the northwestern coast of the Persian Gulf and estimated their health risk. Mean concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd were 1.88 ± 0.07 µg/g, 27.16 ± 8.11 µg/g, 11.55 ± 4.12 µg/g, 14 ± 0.06 µg/g, and 0.19 ± 0.03 µg/g wet weight. Estimated average daily intakes (EDIs) for adults and children of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd were 0.89-4.15 μg/kg bw/day, 12.89-60.02 μg/kg bw/day, 5.47-25.53 μg/kg bw/day, 0.54-2.51 μg/kg bw/day, and 0.09-0.42 μg/kg bw/day. Our analysis revealed elevated levels of Ni and Pb in the fish samples, raising concerns about potential health hazards associated with their consumption. This study provides critical insights into heavy metal contamination in marine fish, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and proactive measures to ensure safe seafood consumption in the northwest Persian Gulf.

Examination of long-term climatic and fish-catch indicators in India at a macro scale

The quantification of trends and attributes helps in better understanding of the long-term changes in the marine ecosystem. Marine fish-catch was analysed using the statistical data provided by the Central Marine fisheries Research Institute, India. These datasets are used internationally to assess changes in marine fisheries along the coasts of India. In addition the data from the Indian Meteorological Department were used to derive temporal trends of cyclonic indicators such as the Frequency and, Intensity of cyclones. Trend analysis of fishery-based data indicated a significant rise in fish-catch across the NIO basin. The sea surface temperature has reported a significant rise in the past 2 decades, reaching peaks during the months from March to October. There is a reduction in the overall frequency of cyclonic events, with a significant increase in extreme cyclonic events. The normal distribution curve also reports a shift towards a positive direction in the case of SST and fish-catch, while the negative shift is obtained for the frequency of cyclones as well as the intensity of depression between the time-period of 1950-99 to 2000-18. The influence of global warming induced climate change can be observed within these trends.

Use of data mining to establish associations between Indian marine fish catch and environmental data

For decades, changes in fish catch composition and the marine environment have been monitored worldwide and recorded in databases like FAO FishStatJ and the European Union Copernicus Marine Service. However, the complexity and high variability in the dataset makes it challenging to find meaningful information through conventional data analytical methods. Therefore, in this pilot data mining study, we employed association rule mining algorithms (Apriori, ECLAT, and FP-Growth) to find frequently occurring itemsets in the fish-catch composition and marine environment data of the west and east coasts of India during the past decade (2011-2020). Firstly, the inherent spatial and temporal variations in fish-catch composition and marine environment (sea surface temperature and chlorophyll) on the west and east coasts of India were statistically analyzed and described. Then, the data were preprocessed, selected, and transformed into categorical attributes. By applying the association rule mining algorithms written in the Python language in the Google Colab workspace, we obtained frequent itemsets of fish catch and marine environment with different levels of minimum support and confidence. The preliminary results showed linear and inverse associations between changes in the sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration, and major catch groups, such as anchovies, Indian oil sardine, Indian mackerel, hairtails, butterfish-pomfrets, Bombay duck, flatfish, tunas, giant tiger prawn, crabs, lobsters, and cephalopods. Among the tested data mining algorithms, FP-Growth was found to be more efficient and reliable in finding associations between the spatiotemporal dynamics of the marine environment and fish distribution and abundance. Therefore, it can be potentially used to support marine fisheries? resource assessment and management strategies after refinement.

Evaluation of Sustainable Utilization of African Marine Fishery Resources

Sustainable utilization evaluation is the basis for ensuring the sustainable exploitation of fisheries’ resources. This paper explores the changes in the mean trophic level of African marine fish catches during a 70-year period based on the statistical data on marine fisheries’ catches in Africa from 1950–2019, provided by the FAO in, order to determine the sustainable utilization of Africa’s fishery resources. The results indicate that although the marine fishery resources of African coastal countries have great variability, their exploitation has roughly gone through the stages of under-exploitation, rapid exploitation, and over-exploitation. Currently, marine fisheries in North and Central Africa are characterized by sustainable exploitation, while East, West, and Southern Africa are in a state of overfishing. The study implicates that African countries should establish a real-time monitoring system for marine fishery resources as soon as possible in order to dynamically grasp the actual changes in fish community structure due to fishing activities, ensure transparency in management and decision making, enact marine regulations to restrict massive fishing by overseas fleets, issue fisheries licenses cautiously, adopt conservative resource conservation policies, and enforce actions to achieve sustainable fisheries development.

Killing Nemo: Three world regions fail to mainstream combatting of IUU fishing

This study revisits the established correlation between IUU fishing and the quality of governance. However, rather than relying on estimates of illegally harvested volumes of catch, the study tests the correlation between the national response to combat IUU fishing – as a proxy of IUU fishing risk – and the quality of governance. Linear regression analysis was applied to a global dataset of 151 coastal States, and individually to eight world regions. The study finds that the correlation of the response to IUU fishing (dependent variable) with the quality of governance is highly significant at the global level, and across five world regions; namely Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. However, the correlation is not verified for Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, and the Middle East. For Asia, the study also finds that combatting of IUU fishing significantly weakens with rising national income. Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, and the Middle East account for more than half the volume of global marine fish catch and there regions score the worst for their response to IUU fishing in both the 2019 and 2021 IUU Fishing Index reports. The study concludes that the lack of correlation across these three regions suggests that relying chiefly on improvements in governance to bring about more effective combatting of IUU fishing will likely prove insufficient. More efforts will be needed across these regions to elevate the importance of effective fisheries management within national policy dialogues, to generate a substantially improved response to IUU fishing in the future.

Bioactivity of Amaranthus spinosus L. leaf extracts and meals against Aeromonas hydrophila.

Plant-based protein is being sought after as a substitute for fish meals (powdered fish) in tilapia feeds. This is to promote sustainable aquaculture, as fish meals contribute to the dwindling marine fish catch. Amaranthus spinosus is an edible weed that shows potential to improve the growth and immunity of Nile tilapia. However, most studies only consider the survivability of fish to evaluate the benefit of using plant-based feeds and do not necessarily elucidate whether a pathogen is affected in vivo. A. spinosus leaf meals (ASLMs) were used to determine effectiveness against Aeromonas hydrophila (BIOTECH 10089) injected intraperitoneally into Nile tilapia. Formulated feeds with fish meals substituted with 50 % (ASLM50) and 75 % (ASLM75) A. spinosus leaves were fed to Nile tilapia challenged with A. hydrophila . Then spleen and kidney tissue were collected and analysed 10 days post-injection for total plate count. The fish fed with ASLM50 appeared healthier than those fed with ASLM75 and those fed with control feeds. Fish fed with ASLMs had lower A. hydrophila counts (P=0.03). Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity determination for crude methanolic A. spinosus leaf (ASL) and ASLMs were also conducted to enhance the in vivo results. The metabolites present in the extracts were carbohydrates, amino acids and proteins, cardiac glycosides, saponins and terpenoids. The ASL and ASLM extracts had antimicrobial activity (MIC=115 mg ml−1). Overall, the study showed that ASLMs can make tilapia more resilient against A. hydrophila infections. Fish meal substitution was best at 50 %. Higher substitution had unwanted effects (more bacterial counts), possibly due to antinutritional factors.

Puffer proliferation in tropical coastal waters: influence of indiscriminate trawling

Intensive mechanized fishing has induced marked alterations in coastal marine ecosystems resulting in proliferation of low-value, nuisance species in marine fish catches. Assessment of 75 shrimp trawl catches taken in the near-shore waters off Goa, west coast of India during active fishing periods from 2006 – 2008 revealed that the demersal pufferfish, Lagocephalus spadiceus constituted ≈ 27 % by weight of the trawl catch during January – March, and its catch was inversely related to prey and predator species. Sub-tidal rock reefs and submerged rocky patches in the study area offer suitable substrates for spawning, and the predominance of adults during these months suggesting spawning migration. Comparison of the present data with published literature indicates a significant reduction in puffer predators (catfishes). Excessive removal of high-value predators favours the proliferation of pufferfish and its establishment as a meso-predator, probably triggering a potential trophic cascade. The paper discusses the role of removal of High Trophic Level (HTL) species in the proliferation of a meso-predator and its impact on ecosystem function.

Fishing Crafts and Gears in Buug, Dumanquillas Bay, Philippines

Dumanquillas Bay is a body of saltwater and the major source of food located in the Southern Mindanao. It has been observed that marine resources and fish catch in the area are declining. This study assumed that fishing practices affect the decline of marine and fish catch in the bay. A study on the documentation of fishing practices in the area is reported here. Key informant interview (KII), focus group discussion, direct observation and document archival were used. Twenty-three (23) fishing practices were observed in the area. Based on R.A. 10654 or the Philippine Fisheries Code, five (5) fishing practices were identified in the bay which are illegal. These are “pahulbot sa lalum”, “pahulbot sa mabaw”, “panubli”, “panguryente” and “troll” that destroys sea grasses, coral reefs and the sea beds. The illegal fishing practices identified poses a threat to the marine resources. It implies weak implementation of fishing policies among the LGU’s and other concerned government institutions and NGA’s. Capacity building, CEPA campaign and committed implementation of the Philippine Fisheries Code (R.A. 10654) should be implemented by the PAMB and stakeholders in the community to manage the remaining coastal marine resources thereby uplifting the socio-economic status of the coastal community and achieve sustainability.

Oceanic primary production decline halved in eddy-resolving simulations of global warming

Abstract. The decline in ocean primary production is one of the most alarming consequences of anthropogenic climate change. This decline could indeed lead to a decrease in marine biomass and fish catch, as highlighted by recent policy-relevant reports. Because of computational constraints, current Earth system models used to project ocean primary production under global warming scenarios have to parameterize flows occurring below the resolution of their computational grid (typically 1∘). To overcome these computational constraints, we use an ocean biogeochemical model in an idealized configuration representing a mid-latitude double-gyre circulation and perform global warming simulations under an increasing horizontal resolution (from 1 to 1/27∘) and under a large range of parameter values for the eddy parameterization employed in the coarse-resolution configuration. In line with projections from Earth system models, all our simulations project a marked decline in net primary production in response to the global warming forcing. Whereas this decline is only weakly sensitive to the eddy parameters in the eddy-parameterized coarse 1∘ resolution simulations, the simulated decline in primary production in the subpolar gyre is halved at the finest eddy-resolving resolution (−12 % at 1/27∘ vs. −26 % at 1∘) at the end of the 70-year-long global warming simulations. This difference stems from the high sensitivity of the sub-surface nutrient transport to model resolution. Although being only one piece of a much broader and more complicated response of the ocean to climate change, our results call for improved representation of the role of eddies in nutrient transport below the seasonal mixed layer to better constrain the future evolution of marine biomass and fish catch potential.

Is inland aquaculture the panacea for Sierra Leone’s decline in marine fish stocks?

The literature on fisheries for developing countries often cites inland aquaculture as a promising source of wealth creation for a nation in terms of revenue generation from export products. However, in this paper we argue that inland aquaculture has a greater prospect of success if it focuses on social welfare – i.e. alleviating food insecurity and poverty in coastal fishing communities, particularly those that are experiencing increased and unsustainable fishing pressure on marine fish. Nevertheless, promoting inland aquaculture in coastal areas faces many challenges, including financial, legal, political, environmental, logistical, educational, and attitudinal obstacles. Our study investigates these challenges in two coastal communities in Sierra Leone – Tombo and Goderich – where declining levels of marine fish catches are intensifying efforts to provide alternative or supplementary forms of employment for artisanal fishers, but where knowledge and experience of, and enthusiasm and funding for, inland aquaculture are limited. The research is based on the perceptions of 51 key informant interviewees and 199 survey questionnaire respondents. The main findings of the fieldwork are as follows. (1) Few local fishers were familiar with inland aquaculture and its potential benefits. (2) There were land tenure problems (for example, women were excluded from ownership of land). (3) There was little funding to buy/rent land and equipment. (4) Despite declining fish stocks, respondents were reluctant to take up full-time fish farming because of the easier option of fishing. Our findings suggest that greater uptake of inland aquaculture is more likely if presented to local fishers as a supplementary livelihood activity rather than an alternative occupation to marine capture fishing. Our study reinforces the importance of understanding local fishers’ cultures, values, and preferences before introducing a new livelihood activity.

Impact of environmental changes on the fishery of motorized and non-motorized sub-sectors of the upwelling zone of Kerala, southeastern Arabian sea

The marine waters of Kerala state along the southwest coast of India are among the most productive upwelling regions in the southeastern Arabian Sea. Analyses were made to assess the impact of environmental changes on the marine fish catch using motorized and non-motorized craft operating off the coast. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) of total landings, OBGN (outboard gillnet), OBTN (outboard trawlnet), NM (non-motorized) crafts, as well as the catch of 5 major fish resources Indian mackerel, lesser sardines, Stolephorus spp., scads, and penaeid prawns were obtained. Sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll, salinity, rainfall, sea level anomaly, multivariate ENSO index, dipole mode index, local temperature anomaly, degree heating month (DHM), degree cooling month (DCM) and surface currents were used as variables to investigate the relationship between environment and fishery. Principal component analysis was used to select the minimum data set and GAM (Generalized additive model) was used to detect the influence of the environment on the fisheries. The adjusted R2 value of the GAM was 0.68, taking the CPUE of the total landings as the response variable. For the case of the selected fish resources, the adjusted R2 value of the GAM was 0.73 for penaeid prawns, followed by Stolephorus spp. (0.44), scads (0.33), lesser sardines (0.31), and Indian mackerel (0.25). Considering the CPUE as the response variable for the GAM also returned high adjusted R2 values for fishing method (OBGN = 0.59, OBTN = 0.53 and NM = 0.31). SST, chlorophyll, rainfall, salinity, yearly DCM and surface currents all had significant influences on the marine fisheries along the Kerala coast. Lower SST, high salinity and rainfall promote the fisheries of both small pelagics and large pelagic groups like scads. Along with the negative relationship between SST and fishery, the present analyses also indicate a positive relationship with yearly DCM, which clearly indicates that the warming of coastal waters has a negative impact on fisheries along the Kerala coast. From these results, we find that ocean currents can play a crucial role in fish recruitment in the coastal waters of Kerala. Primary production, the key factor for marine fishery production, was found to be controlled by environmental factors like SST and currents. These results point to the vulnerability of the small-scale fisheries sector of the tropical upwelling zone to increasing SST and climate change.

Jajanan sehat bagi anak-anak berorientasi pangan fungsional berbahan dasar ikan laut

The purpose of this study was to study the characteristics of caught marine fish at the study site, and to apply the marine fish caught at the study site in the form of healthy snacks, specifically children's snacks. The results of this study indicate that 15 species of fish caught in the Madura strait were 15 types, namely Talang-Talang (Queenfish), Tongkol Lurik (Euthynnus affinis), Tenggiri (Scomberomorus ommerson), Mackerel Board (Scomberomorus, Alu-Alu (Sphyraena barracuda), Banyar (Rastreligger kanagurta), White Kakap (L. calcarifer), Red Kakap (Lutjanus spp.), Belanak (Valamugil seheli), Yellow Tail (Caesio cuning), Selar Como (Alepes djeddaba), Babu Nyai (Plectorhinchus spp.), Black Bawal (P. niger), White Bawal (P. argenteus), and Ketang-Ketang (Epane punctata). The fat content of the marine catch is between 0,43 - 14,36% and total fatty acids of 0,02-2,26 g / 100 g of fish meat. The results of the second phase of the study, engineering of healthy fish-based snacks carried out in 2 forms, namely modern snacks (13 types) and traditional snacks (11 types). The organoleptic results of the favorite test inform that modern snacks: Bitter ballen and churry burger: very preferred, snacks breaded fish, pastel, scallop, nugget, siomay, fish cakes, burgers, stick fish, and shi kebab: ranged from like to very preferred, fish meatball snacks: ranged from ordinary to like, and ekado: not preferred. While the traditional empek-empek, kroket, lumpia (wet and fried), lemper: ranged from like to very preferred, condro snacks, pastel, arem-arem, onde-onde, otak-otak, and bakwan: ranged from disliked to ordinary.

Economic losses from illicit fish trade

Social Science Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing—and the subsequent illicit fish trade market that follows—have a substantial impact on local and national economies. Sumaila et al. estimate that the illicit trade in marine fish catch adds up to between 8 million and 14 million metric tons per year. With suggested gross revenues totaling $9 billion to $17 billion, the researchers estimate potential losses of $26 billion to $50 billion to world economies owing to the diversion of fish from the legitimate trade system. Bold policy and action by both the private and public sectors are needed to mitigate the substantial economic effects of illicit trade in marine fish catch. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.aaz3801 (2020).

Illicit trade in marine fish catch and its effects on ecosystems and people worldwide.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is widespread; it is therefore likely that illicit trade in marine fish catch is also common worldwide. We combine ecological-economic databases to estimate the magnitude of illicit trade in marine fish catch and its impacts on people. Globally, between 8 and 14 million metric tons of unreported catches are potentially traded illicitly yearly, suggesting gross revenues of US$9 to US$17 billion associated with these catches. Estimated loss in annual economic impact due to the diversion of fish from the legitimate trade system is US$26 to US$50 billion, while losses to countries' tax revenues are between US$2 and US$4 billion. Country-by-country estimates of these losses are provided in the Supplementary Materials. We find substantial likely economic effects of illicit trade in marine fish catch, suggesting that bold policies and actions by both public and private actors are needed to curb this illicit trade.

Closing the high seas to fisheries: Possible impacts on aquaculture

Consumption of seafood has increased steadily over the past several decades and this trend is expected to continue with projected increases in global population and affluence. Wild capture fisheries catches have likely reached their peak, and therefore any significant increase in future fish supply is expected to come primarily from aquaculture. However, aquaculture continues to rely on wild stocks by using fishmeal to support culture of fed species. Recently, concerns regarding wild fish populations have led to calls for the closure of the high seas (i.e., international waters) to fishing. Such a policy would decrease marine fish catch in the short term while potentially increasing future catch. Here, we assess the potential impacts of closing the high seas to fishing on marine fish catch that goes to reduction into fishmeal. We quantify the potential effects of these changes on the price of fishmeal and profitability of the global aquaculture industry. Not surprisingly, we find a stronger effect of closing the high seas to fishing for high-value carnivorous species such as shrimp and salmonids. Overall, however, our study suggests that the impact of closing the high seas to fishing on aquaculture is likely to be insignificant.

Effective fisheries management instrumental in improving fish stock status

Marine fish stocks are an important part of the world food system and are particularly important for many of the poorest people of the world. Most existing analyses suggest overfishing is increasing, and there is widespread concern that fish stocks are decreasing throughout most of the world. We assembled trends in abundance and harvest rate of stocks that are scientifically assessed, constituting half of the reported global marine fish catch. For these stocks, on average, abundance is increasing and is at proposed target levels. Compared with regions that are intensively managed, regions with less-developed fisheries management have, on average, 3-fold greater harvest rates and half the abundance as assessed stocks. Available evidence suggests that the regions without assessments of abundance have little fisheries management, and stocks are in poor shape. Increased application of area-appropriate fisheries science recommendations and management tools are still needed for sustaining fisheries in places where they are lacking.

Status of Hilsa Fishery in Hooghly-Bhagirathi River System and Associated Coastal Waters of Northern Bay of Bengal

Hilsa, Tenualosa ilisha, is a popular fish in northern Bay of Bengal and Hooghly-Bhagirathi river system in India. Despite the high commercial and cultural importance of the species in the region, data on its catch status and fishing effort are highly fragmentary and, sometimes, not reliable as these have not been systematically gathered. By adopting ‘Stratified Multistage Random Sampling’ method, mostly followed for marine fish catch estimation, with modifications to suit the nature of inland fish landings and migratory habit of the species, the annual catch of hilsa in Hooghly-Bhagirathi river system and associated coastal waters in northern Bay of Bengal was estimated for four consecutive years, from 2013 to 2016, as 16,318 t, 45,615 t 12,192 t and 48,922 t, respectively. The catch thus estimated was validated by comparing it with the daily catch data collected by enumerators for three months each during fishing seasons in the first two years from two locations. The catch, seasonality, CPUE and the fishing gear and crafts used were recorded. Comparison of the estimated catch of hilsa with the earlier reported catches indicated that the commercial fisheries of the fish in the Hooghly-Bhagirathi river system have seriously declined, highlighting the compelling need for conservation of the species and managing its fishery.

Property rights and the protection of global marine resources

Managing global marine resources by assigning property rights could align economic and conservation incentives, but only if unauthorized resource use is deterred. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) are country-level property rights to marine resources, covering approximately 39% of the ocean’s surface and accounting for more than 95% of global marine fish catch. However, EEZs might not be respected by unauthorized resource users because the cost of monitoring and enforcing such large areas may be prohibitive. Here we provide the first evidence that EEZs are in fact respected by unauthorized resource users. Using global, high-resolution fishing effort datasets and the ecologically arbitrary boundaries between EEZs and the high seas, we find that unauthorized foreign fishing is 81% lower just inside EEZs compared to just outside. Consistent with the high cost of enforcing EEZ boundaries, this deterrence effect is concentrated in EEZs that are most valuable near their boundaries. Our results suggest that property rights institutions can enable effective governance of global marine resource use. A global study of fishing near Exclusive Economic Zone boundaries shows that these property rights indeed deter unauthorized fishing.

Comparative valuation of fisheries in Asian Large Marine Ecosystems with emphasis on the East China Sea and South China Sea LMEs

Asia’s marine waters are divided into 13 Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), which together generate about 50% of the global marine fish catch of ~110 million tonnes annually. Here, I carry out a comparative analysis and valuation of these 13 LMEs with a focus on fish values even though marine ecosystem valuation is much broader than the valuation of fisheries. The following indicators were employed: Catch level, landed values, and subsidy intensity. These are key indicators of a fishery because (i) catch is an indicator of the amount of fish available in weight for food security purposes; (ii) landed value is the firsthand value from which wages, profits and economic impact originate; and (iii) fisheries subsidy is a policy instrument, which if used wrongly can lead to overcapacity and overfishing. In the second part of this contribution, I use the East and South China Sea LMEs to further illustrate the value of ocean fisheries and some of the threats they face. To carry out the comparative analysis, I extracted data from the Sea Around Us and Fisheries Economics Research Unit databases at the University of British Columbia. I also rely on the data and analysis of the OceanAsia project supported by the ADM Capital Foundation Ltd of Hong Kong. The analysis suggests that Asian LMEs are crucial in terms of food security, economic and social benefits to tens of millions of people in Asia and around the world; are under strong overfishing pressure; and that action is needed through effective management to stem the overfishing tide in order to ensure that these LMEs continue to sustain the delivery of goods and services through time.

Who Brings in the Fish? The Relative Contribution of Small-Scale and Industrial Fisheries to Food Security in Southeast Asia

Amidst overexploited fisheries and further climate related declines projected in tropical fisheries, marine dependent small-scale fishers in Southeast Asia face an uncertain future. Yet, small-scale fishers are seldom explicitly considered in regional fisheries management and their contribution to national fish supply tends to be greatly under-estimated compared to industrial fisheries. Lack of knowledge about the small-scale sector jeopardises informed decision-making for sustainable ecosystem based fisheries planning and social development. We fill this knowledge gap by applying reconstructed marine fish catch statistics from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam – countries of the Gulf of Thailand - from 1950 to 2013 to assess the relative contribution of small-scale and industrial fisheries to national food security. Reconstructed catches quantify reported and unreported fish catch from industrial, small-scale, and recreational fishing. We then conduct a comparative analysis of the degree to which the industrial and small-scale sectors support food security, by converting total catch to the portion that is kept for human consumption and that which is diverted to fishmeal for animal feed or other purposes. Total reconstructed marine fish catch from the four Southeast Asian countries totalled 282 million t from 1950 to 2013, with small-scale sector catches being underestimated by an average of around 2 times. When the amount of fish that is diverted to fishmeal is omitted, small-scale fishers contribute more food fish for humans than do industrial fisheries for much of the period until 2000. These results encourage regional fisheries management to be cognisant of small-scale fisheries as a pillar of socio-economic well-being for coastal communities.