Recent Trends in Global and European Fisheries

1. Recent Trends in Globaland European Fisheries Bio-Resources from the Oceans Berlin, 28-29 Nov 2011 Rainer Froese, IFM-GEOMAR

2. 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

3. Status and Trendsin Global Fish Stocks

4. Fish Used to Be Big..

5. .. and numerous

6. Development of the fishery 1376 First bottom trawls 1880 – Steam engine replaces sails and men Modern fishery: huge trawls can be operated anywhere

7. 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.

8. Destruction of the Seafloor before after Photos: Dr. K. Sainsbury, CSIRO

9. The trails of otter boards courtesy F. Grassle

10. Shrimp Fishers off China QuickBird satellite on 20 February 2003, off the coast of Jiangsu province near the mouth of the Yangtze River

12. In the Gulf of Mexico Photo courtesy of Dr. Kyle van Houten (Duke University)

13. (t/km2) Biomass of commercial fish1900 Christensen et al. 2003

14. and in 2000…. Christensen et al. 2003

15. Catch per 100 Hooks1952 - 1980 Blue Marlin Swordfish Bluefin Tuna Mahi mahi

16. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

17. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

18. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

19. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

20. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

21. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

22. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

23. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

24. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

25. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

26. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

27. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

28. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

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30. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

31. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

32. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

33. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

34. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

35. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

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42. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

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44. Source: Myers and Worm 2003. Nature 423: 280-283

45. Trends in Global Fish Stocks Froese & Kesner-Reyes 2002, Worm et al. 2006, Froese et al. 2008, Froese et al. submitted

46. About 1/3 of global catches are reduced to fish meal and fish oil

47. Status and Trendsin European Fish Stocks

48. Ray Beverton and Sidney Holt 1957Founders of modern fisheries science

49. 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 • Bmsy is the biomass that a fish stock must have, so that it can deliver the maximum sustainable yield MSY

50. 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?