Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 61

THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 2018
launched a mid-term strateg y to reverse the
overfishing and address other important threats
in the region, such as illegal, unreported and
unreg ulated (IUU) fishing and the effects of
climate change. In 2015, the area had 38 percent
of the assessed stocks at biologically sustainable
levels, 5 the lowest among all the statistical areas.
In the Western Indian Ocean, total landings
continued to increase, reaching 4.7 million tonnes
in 2015. The main penaeid shrimp stocks in the
Southwest Indian Ocean, a main source of export
revenues, have shown clear signs of
overexploitation, prompting the fisheries
authorities in the concerned countries to
introduce more stringent management measures.
Both data availabilit y and stock assessment
capacit y are limited in the region. The Southwest
Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC)
continues to produce updates to the assessment
of the status of main commercial stocks. Overall,
67 percent of the assessed fish stocks were
estimated to be exploited at biologically
sustainable levels in 2015.
Total production in the Western Central Pacific
grew continuously to a new high of 12.6 million
tonnes in 2015. Major species are tuna and tuna-
like species, which contribute about 25 percent of
total landings. Sardinellas and anchovies are also
major species in the region. This area contributes
about 15 percent of global marine production.
Few stocks are underfished, particularly in the
western part of the South China Sea. The high
reported catches have probably been maintained
through expansion of fishing to new areas. The
tropical and subtropical characteristics of this
region and the limited data availabilit y
complicate stock assessment, which involves
great uncertainties. Overall, 83 percent of the
assessed fish stocks in this area were fished at
biologically sustainable levels in 2015.
Prospects for rebuilding the world’s marine fish
stocks
The world’s marine fisheries had 33.1 percent of
stocks classified as overfished in 2015. This
presents a worrisome situation. Overfishing –
stock abundance reduced by fishing to below the
level that can produce maximum sustainable yield
– not only has negative ecological consequences,
but also reduces fish production in the long term,
which subsequently has negative social and
economic consequences. Ye et al. (2013) have
estimated that rebuilding overfished stocks could
increase fishery production by 16.5 million tonnes
and annual rent by USD 32 billion, which would
certainly increase the contribution of marine
fisheries to the food security, economies and well-
being of coastal communities. The situation seems
particularly acute for some highly migratory,
straddling and other fishery resources that are
fished solely or partially in the high seas. The
United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement, which
entered into force in 2001, should be used more
effectively as the legal basis for management
measures of high-seas fisheries.
The Eastern Indian Ocean continues to show an
increasing trend in catches, reaching 6.4 million
tonnes in 2015. The monitoring of the status and
trends of stocks in the Bay of Bengal and
Andaman Sea regions is relatively uncertain
owing to data limitations. However, the analysis
of catch trends indicates that most stocks of
shads and coastal fishes (e.g. croaker, mullets,
catfish, hairtails) are probably fished at or below
the MSY level. Small pelagic resources, including
Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps),
anchovies and squids, are probably maximally
sustainably fished to underfished. Stocks of
prawns off Western Australia are considered
maximally sustainably fished. In 2015, 73.5
percent of the assessed stocks were within
biologically sustainable levels.
The United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) set a target (14.4) for marine
fisheries: “By 2020, effectively reg ulate
har vesting and end overfishing, illegal,
unreported, and unreg ulated fishing and
destructive fishing practices and implement
science-based management plans, in order to
restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at
least to levels that can produce maximum
sustainable yield as determined by their
5  According to the GFCM publication The State of Mediterranean and
Black Sea Fisheries 2016 (FAO, 2016l), about 80 percent of the stocks
scientifically assessed in the Mediterranean and Black Sea are not
sustainably exploited. There are two main reasons for the discrepancy
with the assessment presented here: first, differences in the reference
list of species included in the GFCM assessments as compared with the
FAO historical database; second, differences in the geographical
boundaries of stock units.
| 45 |