| | Navigate the Atlas:  | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | |
|  The FAO database on world fishery fleet is disseminated as a trilingual FAO Bulletin of Fishery Statistics- Fishery Fleet that covers annual data on the national fishery fleet statistics, by number, size of vessel, power and length classes for 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985 and 1989-95.The number of people fishing and fish farming worldwide has more than doubled since 1970, reaching 28.5 million people in 1990. This compares with an overall growth of 35% of the world's economically-active population in agriculture. Most of this growth has taken place in the 80s and mainly in Asian countries, where four fifths of world fishers and fish farmers dwell. The absolute growth in numbers - largely explained by the wide expansion of the aquaculture sector- associated with a total fishery production of 98 million tonnes in 1990, implies an overall decrease in average productivity to 3.4 tonnes per person. However, much aquaculture production is of species which are more valuable than those exploited in many highly industrialised fisheries such as those for small pelagic fish, so that in economic terms productivity would not show the same decrease. | | | | Closely reflecting the distribution pattern of the world population, 84% of the world's fishers in 1990 were concentrated in Asia (9 millions in China, nearly 6 millions in India, and 4 millions in Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines taken together). Africa, where artisanal fisheries still dominate but local industrial fisheries are gradually developing, represented 6.5% of the world's fishers. South America has maintained a share close to 3% in the world total. Europe has dropped markedly from 3.3 % in 1970 to 2.2% in 1980 and 1.4% in 1990, with a parallel decrease in production. The number of European fishers increased in absolute terms between 1980 and 1990. Part of this increase is probably due to the emerging aquaculture industry. In scantily populated Oceania, commercial fishers only number about 1% the world total, but often account for a significant part of the economically active population in agriculture, and in its Small Island Developing States the fish they produce is crucial for the food security of the population. | | | | In 1990, 95% of the world fishers and fish farmers were from developing countries and they produced 58% of the 98 million tonnes of world fish. In most developing countries of low and middle-income, where the majority of people are employed in the agricultural sector, the number of people employed in fishing and aquaculture has been growing steadily. In industrialized economies offering occupational alternatives, the numbers of fishers have been on a declining trend or at best stationary. For instance in two important fishing countries, Japan and Norway, fishers have halved in number between 1970 and 1990. | | | | In many countries of the world fishing is a seasonal occupation or a part-time one, peaking in the months of the year when riverine, coastal and off-shore resources are more abundant or available, but leaving time in seasonal lows to other occupations. This is especially true in fisheries for migratory species and those subject to seasonal weather variations. | | | | Though employment in fishing and fish farming cannot be taken as the sole indication of the importance of fisheries to the national economy, it is interesting to note that in 1990, fishers represented more than 5% of the population economically active in agriculture in 38 countries, in 15 of which the percentage was above 10%. However, national numbers of both fishers and economically active population in agriculture may often hide the real importance of fisheries and aquaculture in providing locally employment opportunities, as often those two industries are the backbone of coastal areas. | | | | Employment in the primary capture fishery and aquaculture production sectors is estimated for 1998 at about 36 million people, including about 15 million full time workers, 13 million part time and the rest occasional. For the first time there is an indication that growth in employment in the fisheries and aquaculture primary sectors has ceased. Employment in inland and marine aquaculture has been increasing and is now estimated at about 25% of the total. Marine capture fisheries account for around a further 60% and inland capture fisheries for the remaining 15%. | | | | The database on world numbers of fishers and fish farmers is disseminated as a trilingual Fisheries Circular "Numbers of Fishers", No.929 (and subsequent revisions). It presents the number of people engaged in fishing according to the working time devoted to the occupation, as national annual averages, from 1961 onwards. Starting with data for 1990, the database includes employment in aquaculture and separates inland and marine fisheries, on a gender disaggregated basis. | | | | |
 | | | | |
|
|
1076 Topics - 5135 Related Knowledge - 2534 Members - 34 Editors |
