On #WorldFisheriesDay learn how to use our tools

The Sea Around Us has reconstructed catch data for some 273 Exclusive Economic Zones, with the idea of helping countries better manage their fisheries.

As Dr. Daniel Pauly has said, this publicly accessible database builds on FAO statistics but overcomes its deficiencies by incorporating not only landings, but also by identifying the EEZs where the landings come from, presenting data by sectors (i.e., industrial, artisanal, subsistence and recreational) and estimating the illegal and otherwise unreported and undocumented catches.

The video above shows, step by step, how to view and download catch data by fishing country. Besides choosing among regions, users can also decide, by clicking on the “Dimension” drop-down menu, whether they want to see the information by EEZ, High Seas, Taxon, Commercial Groups, Functional Groups, Fishing Sector, Catch Type or Reporting Status.

The graphs also show how the reconstructed catch differs from official reporting.

Sea Around Us discusses future during annual retreat

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Photo by Valentina Ruiz Leotaud.

The setting was ideal: The ocean on one side, the forest on the other.

There wasn’t a sound to be heard except that of a few seagulls, a sea lion somewhere, the waves lashing back and forth, and the enthusiastic team of the Sea Around Us talking about plans and projects for the coming years.

It was all part of the Sea Around Us’ annual retreat, which took place on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast on November 4th-6th, 2016.

Leaders Daniel Pauly, Dirk Zeller, and Deng Palomares traveled with associated faculty, staff, and students with the idea of updating everyone on everything: from finances to exciting new initiatives and potential new directions.

Photo by Deng Palomares.

Photo by Deng Palomares.

Continue reading →

Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries

Sea Around Us’ new Atlas reveals why the ocean is giving us 1.2 million MT less of fish every year

Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries

Global marine fisheries catches have been declining, on average, by 1.2 million metric tons every year since 1996 and FAO knew very little about this.

Fortunately, the Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries has just been released and it explains, in detail and country-by-country, the reasons behind this unprecedented phenomenon, its consequences when it comes to food security and the steps that can be taken to ease the dire situation. Continue reading →

A perfect storm: Climate Change and Overfishing

The Sea Around Us has been featured in the IRIN news network, with an extensive story outlining how overfishing and climate change are warping our marine ecosystems. Within the story, Executive Director and Senior Scientist Dr. Dirk Zeller provides analysis of how the Sea Around Us data is helping to better understand the crisis.

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By Jared Ferrie

Oceans have absorbed more than 93 percent of the heat generated by human activity since the 1970s, according to a report published this month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Continue reading →

Future fisheries can expect $10 billion revenue loss due to climate change

Developing countries that are dependent on fisheries for food and livelihoods may be the hardest hit, while many developed countries could see revenue increases. Image: Tuna for sale at Auki market, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. Photo by Filip Milovac., WorldFish, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Developing countries that are dependent on fisheries for food and livelihoods may be the hardest hit, while many developed countries could see revenue increases. Image: Tuna for sale at Auki market, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands. Photo by Filip Milovac., WorldFish, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The following is work being done by Sea Around Us partners the Nereus Program and OceanCanada

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Global fisheries stand to lose approximately $10 billion of their annual revenue by 2050 if climate change continues unchecked, and countries that are most dependent on fisheries for food will be the hardest hit, finds new UBC research. Continue reading →