The Sea Around Us makes a wide range of data analyses and indicators available. Use the information and examples below to find information.

If you have specific questions or feedback about an item, use our feedback form to contact Sea Around Us directly.

If you need a large dataset, please read this notice regarding the availability of the Sea Around Us data.

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For information on relevant methods, refer to the Methods Index page.

**A graph showing global catch is now available here**

Topics on this page

How to search catch allocation data
Viewing Search Results Pages
Examples of Catch Allocation results page
What data is downloadable currently in production?
R libraries

How to Search Catch Allocation Data

You can search and view catch allocation data in three ways:

Simple map searches
To explore by map, click a region on map or use a search field to view by EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), LME (Large Marine Ecosystem), ME (Marine Ecoregion), RFMO (Regional Fisheries Management Organization), High Seas, Global, FAO Area or Fishing country.  Use the Search By Map page.The selected data sets can be downloaded from each page. Please always refer to Methods and the references associated with each selected area.

Advanced search 
For a wider range of search options, including selecting multiple regions or taxa use the Advanced Search page. The data for selected pages can be downloaded. Please always refer to Methods and the references associated with each selected area.

Click to view Advanced Search

Catch allocation map: Search by fishing countries or taxa, search by commercial or functional group or rotate and zoom the globe to map allocation results on a global map. Get more help using the Catch Allocation Map. These cell-by-cell data cannot be downloaded via this page due to the large data file size associated with these queries.

Viewing Search Results Graph Pages

Each graph page has sections and links specific to its search type. See below for an annotated picture using EEZ or view a larger version.


Examples of Catch Allocation results pages

Examples below are single pages. You can pull back more than on region or taxon at a time using Advanced Search (though not all fields appear).

EEZ: EEZ Waters of French Polynesia by value for top 5 fishing countries
Fishing country: Catches by fishing fleets of Spain by tonnage for top 20 EEZs
EEZ + Neighbouring EEZs: Landed value of catches by Commercial Group for Peru and neighbouring EEZs
RFMO:   Landed value of catches of target RFMO-managed by Fishing Sector in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
LME: Landed value of catches by Fishing Sector in the waters of the Benguela Current
Taxon: Patagonian toothfish catch value by top 10 fishing countries

Taxon and Biodiversity Tools

The website has both catch and taxonomic data by taxon or multiple taxa, including catch allocation data available for download.

Search for taxon information from the Biodiversity page: The taxa list can be filtered by region (e.g., EEZ) or by Taxon level (taxonomic level, e.g., species, genus, etc.) and/or by functional group (e.g., fish, crustacean, mollusc, etc.). Choose a taxon to display the Key Information section (scroll down the page). A link to view graph for catches of the taxon opens the global catch page for this taxon. Links to the species summary pages in FishBase and SeaLifeBase of the species level taxa are provided, as well as to Google and Google Scholar. See an example using yellowfin tuna.

View Yellowfin Tuna taxon information

Search for catches by taxon using the Advanced Search page.
Examples:
Single taxon: Global catches of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) by Fishing country
Multiple taxa:  Global catches of Atlantic cod, Herrings and Capelin by EEZ

What data is downloadable currently in production?

Look for a Download data button on any page to download the related data.  For larger data sets or additional data, please contact Sea Around Us directly. Please always ensure you are fully familiar with the definitions, meanings and caveats of each parameter and data procedure, by consulting the Methods as well as all underlying Sea Around Us literature.

Catch allocation data downloads for EEZ, LME, ME, RFMO, High Seas, Global, Fishing country, Taxa
In a catch data download, the following columns are included in the .csv for all data captured, whether the user selects one or multiple regions or taxa. A README file with data version information and the Citation Policy are also included, as well as the latest Methods document and any reconstruction references that may be available.  Click Download data on the Algeria page to download the .zip file to see an example. For larger data sets or additional data, please contact Sea Around Us directly.

  • Geographic area name
  • Area type
  • Data layer
  • Uncertainty score
  • Year
  • Scientific name
  • Common name
  • Functional group
  • Commercial group
  • Fishing entity
  • Fishing sector
  • Catch type
  • Reporting status
  • Gear type
  • Tonnes of catch
  • Landed value of catch in 2010 USD

Downloadable Indicator data: Marine Trophic Index, Stock Status and Multinational Footprint for Primary Production

For applicable region types, the indicator pages also include data downloads for all data graphed. Additional links exist for other indicator-type data sources.

Global Mariculture Data

Taxon, Year and Tonnage are available by country for mariculture production. For an example, click download on the Thailand Global Mariculture page to download the .zip file.

R Libraries

The Sea Around Us R libraries allow researchers to download and manipulate data directly. With the latest version, users can provide a GIS shapefile to get the much-anticipated ½-degree by ½-degree cell data from the catch allocation map. Please always ensure you are fully familiar with the definitions, meanings and caveats of each parameter and data procedure, by consulting the Methods as well as all underlying Sea Around Us literature.

The libraries can be downloaded from GitHub: https://github.com/ropensci/seaaroundus and include the Sea Around Us data use policy, as well as instructions and examples in a README file.