(4-A) - Antarctic Area - [A1] General, [A2] Penguins, [A3] Whales, [A4] Krill, [A5] Patagonia Toothfish,
(4-B) - Inland Seas - [B1] Mediterranean Area, [B2] Black Sea, [B3] Caspian Sea, [B4] Aral Sea, [B5] Azov Sea,
(4-C) - Northern Pacific Ocean - [C1] Bering Sea/Aleutian Basin, [C2] Russia, [C3] Alaska, [C4]~ Canada and adjacent Areas, [C5] US West Coast, [C6]~ Mexico-Pacific, [C7] By-Catch,
(4-D) - Northern Atlantic Ocean - [D1] General, [D2] Chesapeake Bay, [D3] Georges Bank, [D4]~ Grand Bank, [D5] New England Fishery, [D6]~ Northeast Atlantic Fishery, [D7] Bermuda Fishery, [D8]~ By-Catch, [D9] Canada,
(4-E) - Southern Pacific Ocean -
(4-F) -Southern Atlantic Ocean / Gulf of Mexico - [F1] Gulf of Mexico, [F2] African Coast, [F3]~ Southwest Atlantic, [F4]~ By-Catch,
(4-G) - US Coastal Waters - [G1] Fishery Collapses, [G2] Over-fishing, [G3] Foreign Catch, [G4]~ Catch Data,
(4-H) - Freshwater Lakes and Rivers -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - fi4
NOTE: The notation (su6) means that the data is used in the document analyzing the sustainability of the productivity of the world's food, fiber and water supply systems. (See elsewhere in this website.)

Research, published Jan.1999 in Nature, reported a decline in krill population around the Antarctic Peninsula (99W1).

In 1999 103,000 tons of krill, out of a total estimated population of several hundred million tons, was harvested for fishing bait or hatchery-fish feed. (1/2/00 Tokyo Asahi Shimbun) http://WWW.ASAHI.COM/english/enews/enews.html#enews_26894

The krill catch limit is 1.2 million tonnes/ year in the south Atlantic, and 0.3 million tonnes/ year in the southern Indian Ocean. In fact, only 80,000 tonnes was being taken, mainly by Japanese (99W1). But American agri-business giant Cargil is gearing up for a much larger assault on krill, which is used as an additive to fish farm food and as a protein supplement for human food. Cargil's internal assessment had put a sustainable harvest at 5 million tonnes. The Chinese are reportedly building a fleet of krill boats. There were also signs that the British, east Europeans and Canadians were preparing to join the hunt while Chilean fishing companies, in difficulties as the anchovy fisheries went further offshore in response to El Nino, were likely to move south. Krill may take over as the major issue facing CCAMLR, the 23-nation organization set up to protect Antarctic marine life (99W1).

[A5] - Harvest- and Population Data - Antarctic Area - Patagonian Toothfish -

The Patagonian toothfish has been virtually fished out in the waters around South America, where it was first exploited commercially. Greenpeace estimates the total illegal catch of the species in 1997 was about 100,000 tonnes, worth over $500 million. The Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources predicts the fish will be commercially extinct in less than 3 years if illegal fishing is not curbed (99S1).

In the Gulf of Gabes, one of the Mediterranean Sea's most important natural fisheries, the fish catch dropped from 36,000 tons in 1988 to 28,000 tons in 1992. The sardine catch dropped by 2/3 (93H1).

Before completion of Aswan High Dam in 1965, the Nile River carried 43 km³/ year of water to the sea. Since the dam, it has carried 3 km³/ year. As a result, fisheries of the eastern Mediterranean Sea have collapsed (90C2).

Of 47 species of fish harvested from the Nile River prior to the Aswan Dam, 17 were still being harvested a decade after the dam's completion (95P4).

Sardine harvests in the eastern Mediterranean dropped 83% after the Aswan Dam (95P4), (96P1).

In the Gulf of Gabes, one of the Mediterranean Sea's most important natural fisheries, the fish catch dropped from 36,000 tons in 1988 to 28,000 tons in 1992. The sardine catch dropped by 2/3 (93H1).

Before completion of Aswan High Dam in 1965, the Nile River carried 43 km³/ year of water to the sea. Since the dam, it has carried 3 km³/ year. As a result, fisheries of the eastern Mediterranean Sea have collapsed (90C2).

Of 47 species of fish harvested from the Nile River prior to the Aswan Dam, 17 were still being harvested a decade after the dam's completion (95P4).

Sardine harvests in the eastern Mediterranean dropped 83% after the Aswan Dam (95P4), (96P1).

The Caspian Sea once held 90% of the Soviet Union's caviar-producing sturgeon fishery. Populations of sturgeon and other valuable fish have declined by more than 2/3 over the past 2 decades (90F1). Catches of pike and perch in the Caspian Sea have decreased by 96% over the past 3 decades (95P1).

In the southern part of the former Soviet Union (countries surrounding the Black, Azov, Caspian, and Aral Seas) water diversions for agriculture (mainly irrigation) have eliminated 90-98% of the sturgeon, salmon and other commercially valuable species (Ref. 40 of (93W1)) (Ref. 46 of (94W2)).

The Aral Sea, as recently as 1960, yielded 40,000 tonnes/ year of fish. Today Aral Sea is essentially dead (93B1). In 1957 the Aral Sea fish catch was 50,000 tons/ year. Commercial fishing ceased by 1982 due to irrigation diversions that began in 1958. In 1994, 3000 tons of fish were caught in the Amu Darya delta of the Aral Sea (95H1).

20 of the 24 fish species in the Aral Sea have disappeared (95P4). The 1950s fish catch in the Aral Sea of 44,000 tons/ year dropped to zero (95P4), (96P1).

The Azov Sea fishery, which once yielded 200,000 tons of fish/ year, is now closed (Ref. 51 of (94W2)).

According to National Research Council's 1996 Report on the Bering Sea Ecosystem, "It seems extremely unlikely that the productivity of the Bering Sea ecosystem can sustain current rates of human exploitation as well as the large populations of all marine mammals and birds that existed before human exploitation - especially modern exploitation - began" (98D1).

In 1989 the Bering Sea pollock fishery was open year-round. In 1991, the season was reduced to 148 days. By 1994, the factory trawl season declined only 70 days. In 1997 factory trawlers fished 55 days (98D1).

Total pollock catches in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands from 1990-96 were 8,786,189 tonnes, an average of 1.255 million tonnes/ year, not including discards (98D1).

Aleutian Island pollock (age 3+ biomass) has declined steadily since the early 1980s, and appears to be at 20% of its earlier abundance (98D1).

Until the 1990s, the Aleutian Atka mackerel catch never exceeded 38,000 tonnes Beginning in 1992, the North Pacific Council raised the annual catch limits to 43,000 tons, increasing to 80,000 tons by 1995 and 106,157 tons in 1996. In 1997, the estimated stock size was down 50% compared to 1991-94, suggesting that these record-high catch levels are not sustainable (98D1).

The Aleutian Basin population of Pollock straddles the offshore area controlled by the US and Russia, but Pollock congregate in a 142,000 km² area ("Donut Hole"), an enclave of international waters ringed by EEZs of the two countries. The population collapsed due to over-fishing by China, Japan, South Korea and Poland. The overall Donut Hole catch was 363,000 tonnes in 1985, one million tonnes in 1989, and 300,000 tonnes in 1991 (94P1). The central Bering Sea catch of Alaska (walleye) Pollock dropped from 1.5 million tonnes in 1989 to 11,000 tonnes in 1992 due to over-fishing (95P1).

The cod catch in the Bering Sea increased from 100,000 tons in 1984 to 1.3 million tons in 1988 - a level that marine scientists think to be non-sustainable (89L1).

Pollock is the most abundant ground-fish species in the Bering Sea, comprising 50-70% of the entire ground-fish biomass, and a primary prey species for many marine mammals and sea birds in the region (98D1).

Following introduction of the first Japanese factory trawlers with onboard pollock-surimi processing machines in the early 1960s, removals of eastern Bering Sea pollock skyrocketed - from 175,000 tonnes in 1964 to more than 1.8 million tonnes in 1972 (98D1).

From its inception in 1964 to 1994, the eastern Bering Sea pollock-surimi fishery removed an average of 1.1 million tonnes/ year, not including bycatch estimates prior to 1991 (98D1).

The massive "Donut Hole" fishery conducted by foreign factory trawlers in the Central Bering Sea (1987-92) virtually wiped out the large pollock aggregations in that region (98D1). The related Bogoslof pollock roe fishery (1987-92) was dominated by domestic factory trawlers, but it too collapsed and the stock continues to decline today (98D1).

Since 1990, the catch of spawning pollock in the eastern Bering Sea pollock fishery has soared to 500,000 tonnes/ year - 10 times the volume removed from 1977-86 (98D1).

Eastern Bering Sea pollock has declined more than 50% since the mid-1980s and by 38% from 1994-97 (98D1).

Densely schooled, spawning fish are highly susceptible to over-fishing. Episodes of intense fishing on spawning stocks in the Shelikof Strait (1981-85) and Bogoslof/ Donut Hole fisheries (1987-91) were followed by steep declines in pollock abundance in both areas (98D1).

In 1994, factory trawlers' by-catch amounted to 286,000 tons of fish unintentionally caught and killed - more than 75% of the total discards in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands for 1994 (98G1).

In 1997, the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Island discard rate for yellowfin, flathead and rock sole - all carried out primarily by factory trawlers - ranged from 35-55% (98G1).

Total discards for yellowfin sole and Pacific cod in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Island fishery averaged 60,000 tonnes/ year during 1990-94, second only to the pollock fishery (98G1).

The rock sole fishery has the highest rate of total discards in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Island Fishery - 60-70% during 1990-94 (98G1).

Total pollock catches in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands from 1990-96 averaged 1.255 million tonnes/ year, not including discards (98G1).

During 1990-94, total discards in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries ranged from 198 to 315,000 tonnes/ year (98G1).

From its inception in 1964-94, the eastern Bering Sea pollock-surimi fishery removed an average of 1.1 million tonnes/ year (37 million tonnes total, not including by-catch estimates prior to 1991) (98G1).

The northern fur seal population was listed as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1989. Large declines in Steller sea lions in western Alaska led to their listing under the Endangered Species Act as threatened in 1990 and endangered in 1997. Similarly, large declines have been documented in the harbor seal populations of western Alaska. Substantial declines of pollock-eating seabirds, specifically murres and kittiwakes, in the Bering Sea have been recorded beginning in the mid-1970s and coincident with the growth of the pollock fishery in the region (98D1). The National Research Council's 1996 report identified fishery effects on prey availability as the only factor with a high likelihood of playing a major role in the Steller sea lion's on-going decline (98D1).

The fishing fleet off Alaska's coast can take the year's quota in less than 6 months. A year's quota of Pacific halibut is now taken in two 24-hour periods (92K1).

Landings by the US fleet in the Pacific-Alaska region: 888,000 tons in 1977; 3,380,000 tons in 1993 (95F1).

In Alaska's rock sole fishery, factory trawlers also fish on spawning females in pursuit of high value roe. There is no prohibition on roe-stripping in this fishery (98D1).

US fishermen take almost 9 million Canadian-origin salmon/ year, compared with a Canadian catch of less than 4 million salmon of US origin. Since 1985, the US catch of Canadian salmon has risen 50%, while the Canadian catch of US salmon has dropped 40% (94U1). Salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest have plunged from 16 million/ year a few decades ago to 2 million/ year now (article by Charles McCoy, "Salmon Advocates Win First Big Case Against Government" in Wall Street Journal, June, 1994). Once, 15 million wild salmon ran in the Columbia River. In the 1994 season, 300,000 wild salmon swam in the entire Northwest Basin (Amicus Journal, 6(4) (1995) p. 3).

Salmon migrate thousands of miles over the course of their 6-7-year life cycle. Over 80% of Alaska's Chinook catch comes from streams in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia (95B2).

Total Chinook catch in the Pacific Northwest: 2.3 million in 1985; 1.56 million in 1993 (95B2). (See plot showing breakdown into Alaska, Canada, and Washington-Oregon shares vs. time (1985-93))

On the west coast of North America, at least 106 major populations of salmon and steelhead have been wiped out (92R1). In 4/94, the Pacific Fishery Management Council banned salmon fishing off Washington State for the first time (Ref. 3, Chapter 5 of (94B3)).

About 10 million salmon were thought to inhabit the Columbia River basin before the first Europeans arrived. By 1985, the Columbian River system was supporting only about 2.5 million fish, nearly 75% of them spawned in hatcheries (91K1). The American Fisheries Society (an organization of fisheries scientists) lists 214 wild runs (sub-species) of West Coast salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout in danger of extinction. Well over 100 native runs are already extinct (91K1). The failures of salmon runs in several areas of Alaska in 1987 and 1988 were attributed to the use of drift nets in the Pacific Ocean (90L1).

Destruction of spawning grounds and over-fishing have caused spawning runs of salmon in the Klamath River (California) to decline about 90% (82B1). Anadromous fish populations in California's north coastal rivers have declined about 65% since 1900 (Ref. 1 of (81C2)). The decline in some rivers is much greater. These declines are attributed to habitat degradation (mainly siltation due to logging) (81C2). Prior to 1952, the 14-year-average King salmon run on South Fork of Eel River (California) was 11,800 adults/ year. The 9-year average after 1952 was 3,700 adults/ year. The corresponding decline in silver salmon was 13,400 down to 4,300. Logging damage to spawning and nursery streams is blamed by the California Dept. of Fish and Game (78C1).

The 1993 quota for Pacific Whiting on the west coast of the US is 142,000 tonnes. Factory trawlers caught and processed 50% of the allowable catch in 1992 (90% in 1991) (92M2).

Of the 27.2 million tons harvested from the Northwest Pacific region in 1995, 9.1 million tons of fish were discarded (98M1).

According to the Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC) the north Pacific fleet throws overboard nearly 500,000 tons of fish and other sea life ("By-catch") in the course of fishing for groundfish such as pollock, cod, Atka mackerel, yellowfin sole and rock sole. (By-catch is usually dead by the time it is discarded.) A 10/96 amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act directs the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to minimize by-catch and comply with this mandate by Oct. 1998 (Seaweb Ocean Update of 7/8/97. Call AMCC at 907-277-5357).

In 1994 commercial fishers in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska discarded 15% (326,000 tons) of groundfish ("bycatch" - dead) (Science News, 148 (12/16/95))

In 1994, US factory trawlers in the North Pacific discarded 260,000 tonnes of by-catch, exceeding by 42% the total groundfish landings off New England that year (98D1).

The entire factory-trawler fleet's discards off Alaska in 1994 - 572 million pounds - was more than 3 times the reported discards (170 million pounds) of the more than 2,000 other boats that fished for ground-fish that year (98D1).

From 1990-94, total discards in the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands groundfish fisheries ranged between 197,660-314,585 tonnes (98D1).

In the Bering Sea mid-water pollock fishery the total volume of discarded pollock and other species has averaged over 93,000 tonnes/ year from 1990-94 (98D1).

Total discards for yellowfin sole and Pacific cod averaged 60,000 tonnes/ year from 1990-94, second only to the pollock fishery (98D1).

In 1997, the Bering Sea/Aleutian Island discard rate for yellowfin, flathead and rock sole - all carried out primarily by factory trawlers - ranged from 35-55% (98D1).

Alaska's rock sole fishery has one of the highest discard rates (60-70%) of any fishery in Alaska as well as the highest rate of target species discards - reportedly throwing away four fish for every one retained (98D1).

Fish catches in the northwest Atlantic have fallen 40% since the early 1970s (Ref. 20 of (98M7)).

The North Atlantic is so severely over-fished that it may have completely collapsed by 2010 according to a new study that includes the most comprehensive survey of the region so far. North Atlantic catches are down to half of what they were in 1950 despite a tripling of the fishing effort. The total number of fish has gone down even further. So-called "high quality table fish" have gone down over 80% since 1900. Normally falling catches would cause some fishers to go out of business and thus reduce the fleet, but the fleet is subsidized by government and thus kept artificially alive ("Complete Collapse of North Atlantic Fishing Predicted", New Scientist, 2/18/02).

Catches of Atlantic Cod declined 69% between the 1968 peak and 1992 (98M1). Canada suspended cod fishing entirely off Newfoundland (Ref. 1, Chapter 5 of (94B3)).

The 1985 Atlantic cod haul was 635,000 tons (93U1). Iceland's cod stock could collapse unless the quota is cut 40% in 1993 (92K1). Icelandic cod are fully exploited. With an estimated potential yield of 525,000 tons/ year, the catch has fluctuated between 390- and 470,000 tons/ year over the past 2-3 decades (77P1).

In the Mid-Atlantic, the largest recreational fishery on the East Coast, six of 11 managed species are over-fished, including summer flounder (99U3).

The Chesapeake Bay oyster catch was 20,000 tons/ year in the 1950s, and less than 3000 tons/ year in the late 1980s (Ref. 21 of (94W1)).

Populations of American Oysters in Chesapeake Bay have dropped by 99% since 1870 (92R1).

The Chesapeake Bay yielded 8 million bushels/ year of oysters a century ago. Now it produces scarcely 1.0 million bushels/ year (93B1).

Chesapeake Bay's oyster catch peaked in the 1880s, but the last few years have shown the lowest harvests on record - about 10% of the peak. Declining water-quality and over-fishing are considered as primary factors in this decline (Chesapeake Bay Foundation Annual Report for 1985).

Chesapeake Bay's hickory shad catch has declined 96%, alewife and blueback 92%, stripped bass 70%, American shad 66%, and oysters 96% from their historical peaks (Ref. 50 of (94W2)).

Commercial harvests of rockfish in Chesapeake Bay: around 500 tons/ year around 1940, peaking at around 4000 tons/ year around 1970, and dropping to 500 tons/ year in 1983-4 (Chesapeake Bay Foundation Annual Report for 1985).

Chesapeake Bay's shad catch is plotted vs. time (1900-83) in Ref. (85B1).

In New England, factory trawlers flocked to the Georges Bank in the early to mid-1960s, comprising over 70% of the fishing capacity (in gross registered tons) by 1965. The US fleet, comprised of small vessels, totaled 8% of total fishing capacity. Record catches of cod, herring, haddock and silver hake were followed by steep declines in these species: the abundance of commercially exploited ground-fish and flounders declined by almost 70% between 1963-74, dropping to the lowest levels ever observed (98D1).

Foreign factory trawlers began fishing for silver hake on southern Georges Bank in the early 1960s. Total catches peaked in 1965 at more than 300,000 tons. The US fleet of small-boat fishermen took less than 20,000 tons of silver hake that year (98D1).

Catches of southern red hake peaked at over 100,000 tonnes in 1966, dominated by distant-water factory trawlers. Catches dropped off sharply after 1967, but continued to be dominated by foreign factory fleets until passage of the Magnuson Act. A similar rapid increase in red hake landings by foreign factory ships on the northern Georges Bank between 1972-76, when 93% of the catch was taken by factory trawlers (98D1).

Georges Bank haddock increased from 50,000 tonnes/ year before 1965 to nearly 150,000 tonnes/ year in 1965-66 due to intense fishing by distant-water factory fleets. Landings and abundance estimates then declined rapidly. Although domestic catches did not exceed 30,000 tonnes after 1977, haddock biomass never recovered, and continued to drop to all-time lows by the early 1990s (98D1)(98G1).

The Georges Bank herring fishery began in the early 1960s with the arrival of foreign factory trawlers. Landings peaked at an all-time high of 373,600 tonnes in 1968, but rapidly declined as stocks collapsed (98D1).

Most of Georges Bank and parts of the Gulf of Maine (17,100 km² total) were closed to fishing in December 1994 because the number of cod, haddock and flounder had reached all-time lows (Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 3/22/95).

In Georges Bank, the abundance of commercially exploited groundfish and flounder declined by almost 70% during 1963-74, dropping to the lowest levels ever observed (88G1).

The Georges Bank herring fishery began in the early 1960s. Landings peaked at an all-time high of 376,600 tonnes in 1968, but rapidly declined as the stock collapsed (88G1).

From 1959-68, Newfoundland cod landings soared, reaching an all-time high of 810,000 tonnes in 1968, while estimates of harvestable biomass dropped by 82% from 1962-77, by which time the Grand Banks fishery was on the verge of commercial extinction. The stock never fully rebounded and rapidly declined under renewed pressure from the domestic Canadian off-shore trawler fleet, leading to complete collapse and closure (in 1992) of the once-legendary fishery (98D1) (98G1).

The total harvest of groundfish (cod, haddock, flounder, etc.) in the New England fishery has fallen from 6 million tonnes/ year in the mid-1960s to 3 million tonnes/ year in the early 1970s to 2 million tonnes/ year in the mid-1980s to 1 million tonnes/ year in the mid-1990s (94A1).

New Englanders now pursue "trash" fish like hake, whiting, spiny dogfish and skate. Once plentiful cod, flounder, haddock and redfish are so rare that they're not worth pursuing, even though they fetch higher prices (92K1).

The 250 commercial fishing boat of New Bedford (Mass.) are getting only half the fish they used to get 3 years ago, because the fish aren't there (88G1).

In the past 2 decades the number of lobster traps off the US Atlantic Coast has tripled, and in 1983 the lobster catch was 22,000 tons, compared to 14,500 tons a decade earlier. The lobster industry now catches 90% of each generation's 1-lb. lobsters. In waters between New Hampshire and Cape Cod, only 4% of the population are egg-bearing females (84B1).

Connecticut's oyster harvest around 1900 was 2 million bushels/ year. In the 1970s it was under 40,000 bushels/ year. In the late 1980s, better water-quality standards were developed. In 1987 a tax on oyster sales was imposed, proceeds going to producing seed oysters and restoration of oyster beds. Connecticut's oyster take is now 700,000 bushels/ year -second largest in the US (Andrew Hoerner, The Amicus Journal, 17(2) (1955) pp.14-17).

Trends in catches of capelin, northeast arctic cod, and North Sea herring in the northeast Atlantic fishery during 1953-74 are plotted in Ref. (77P1), based on FAO data. Trends in the catch of haddock and cod in the North Sea during 1952-74 are plotted in Ref. (77P1). Evidence of over-fishing is seen. The estimated sustained potential yield of both species is 150,000 tons/ year (77P1).

In the northeast Atlantic fishery, major demersal (bottom-feeding) types, e.g. cod and haddock, are maintaining a yield fairly close to their estimated maximum. Various herring stocks have been seriously depleted. Their yield is well below their potential maximum. Yields of capelin, mackerel, sand eels* and Norway pout* have risen dramatically (77P1). (* = used mainly for fish meal.).

In the northeast Atlantic fishery, the Atlantic/ Scandian herring stock is so badly depleted that the current catch is below 10,000 tons/ year, as compared to a potential yield of 1.5 million tons/ year (77P1).

Principle stocks of orange roughy (which started appearing in fish stores only a decade ago) around New Zealand have collapsed (98P1).

Peruvian anchovy catch was 4 million tons in 1960, 8 million tons in 1965, 13 million tons in 1970, and 2 million tons/ year in the early 1970s and thereafter (88B1). The estimated sustained yield is 9 million tons/ year (88B1). The Peruvian anchovy catch expanded extremely rapidly from a few thousand tons/ year around 1955 to the world's largest fishery with a peak production of 13.06 million tons/ year in 1970 from the anchovy Engraulis ringens alone (77P1). In 1972 the anchovy fishery collapsed (11.2 million tons in 1971; 4.8 million tons in 1972, 1.96 million tons in 1973). Some people attribute the collapse to over-fishing rather than to the intrusion of the warm water current from the north (El Nino), e.g. they note that the poor recruitment of young fish to the adult stock preceded the arrival of the current. Because of restrictions of Peruvian authorities and the retreat of El Nino, the fishery showed a partial recovery from the 1973 level in 1974-5 when yields of over 4 million tons/ year were obtained (77P1).

In 1988, Taiwanese fishing boats with drift nets entered the South Pacific albacore fishery and caught 2-3 times the maximum yield thought sustainable (90L1). The sustainable catch of albacore tuna in the southern Pacific is expected to be exceeded by 600% in 1989 (89L1).

The status of the red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico was first formally assessed in 1988. Scientists then declared that the species was significantly over-fished, and recommended that red snapper fishing mortality rates be decreased by as much as 70%. In 1990, after further review, scientists recommended that the directed fishery for red snapper be closed, and that mortality of juvenile red snapper in shrimp nets be drastically reduced. Instead, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Mgmt. Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service increased the total allowable catch of red snapper. Since 1991 both the commercial quota and the recreational quota have more than doubled (97D1).

At the close of the spring commercial season (4/13/98) total red snapper catch from Gulf of Mexico was 1560 tons (98C1). (Total allowable catch of red snapper from Gulf of Mexico: 4560 tons in 1998.)

In 1996 the Gulf of Mexico region produced nearly 750,000 tons of fish worth over $680 million (NMFS data) (98C1).

The menhaden industry takes 18,500 tons of fish from Mississippi waters yearly. The industry takes an estimated 20% of the menhaden living in the Gulf of Mexico each year. The Gulf of Mexico menhaden industry has averaged a catch of about 500,000 tonnes/ year since the late 1980s. Scientists calculate the industry could harvest up to 750,000 tonnes/ year without harming the fish stocks (Patrick Peterson, "Menhaden fight continues; Boats should fish farther from shore, say industry critics", The Sun Herald, (Biloxi, MS) 9/22/02).

Menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico - worth $54.5 million in 1996 - are used for fishmeal, oil, soluble protein, and as bait-fish (98C1).

Commercial landings of reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico were 16,000 tons in 1994. Recreational catch: 14,000 tons (98C1).

Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery: 13,000 boats, 56,400-ton catch in waters out to 3 miles; 52,900 ton catch in waters 3-200 miles off-shore (1996 data) (98C1).

Southeast Atlantic fishers off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa have experienced more than a 50% decline in harvest since the early 1970s (98M1). (Ref. 20 of (98M7)).

Catches of small shoaling fish (horse mackerel, sardinelia, European sardines) off the west coast of Africa are plotted against time (1965-74) in Ref. (77P1) based on FAO data.

Namibia watched the catch in its zone fall from nearly 2 million tons in 1980 to less than 0.1 million tons a decade later (Ref. 16 of (93B1)).

The southern stock of the South African pilchard, despite various restrictions by the South African government, has declined drastically since 1968, and now yields only 40,000 tons/ year instead of the potential maximum of 150-300,000 tons/ year (77P1).

Surveys off the west coast of Africa show that fish stocks in shallow inshore waters, where artisan fishers ply their trade, dropped by more than 50% from 1985-90 because of increased fishing by commercial trawlers ((95F2), p. 22).

As estimate for the biomass of krill in the southwest Atlantic (one of the main spawning/ feeding grounds of Antarctic krill) 35.8 million tonnes based on an area of 471,000 km² (95T2). Estimated krill production: 28.6-96.6 million tonnes/ year (95T2). Estimated land-based krill predation for the southwest Atlantic: 16.3 million tonnes/ year. When predation by whales, squid and fish is also considered, krill predation may be 32.6 million tonnes/ year (95T2). CCAMLR has set a precautionary krill catch limit of 1.5 million tonnes/ year for the southwest Atlantic (95T2).

5.6 billion croaker, 20 million red snapper, 3.2 million Spanish mackerel and 1.3 million King Mackerel are caught in shrimp nets in the Gulf of Mexico annually. This "by-catch" is then discarded to float away dead. Shrimp constitute only 20% of what is caught in Gulf shrimp nets (American Oceans Campaign fishlink alert of 6/9/97).

The number of fish stocks in need of stronger conservation in US coastal waters has increased for the fourth year running. The number of fish stocks in jeopardy jumped from 98 to a record high 107, according to a new (about 2/13/01) Dept. of Commerce 2000 Report to Congress: Status of Fisheries of the US. For more information about the report or MFCN: 202-543-5509 or www.conservefish.org. Full report: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/reports.html. Contact: Herb Ettel, Marine Fish Conservation Network, 202-543-5509.

During the past several decades fish population crashes have occurred in an alarming pattern. In New England, groundfish, (cod, flounder, haddock, pollock, whiting, and halibut), were over-fished and the population collapsed. In the Mid Atlantic during the l970s striped bass collapsed. Known as "rockfish" in the Chesapeake, the species population collapsed. Atlantic sharks population has diminished by 50% in the last decade or so. Gulf of Mexico redfish population diminished to a point below the sustainable level and the fishery collapsed. West Coast sea urchin population collapsed. Northwest and Alaskan salmon populations survive at greatly diminished levels. Today other species are in trouble - swordfish, white and blue marlin, sailfish and several tunas. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has designated these species as overfished. Population collapse could happen next. Among fisheries of recreational importance in New Jersey that are collapsed or threatened are mako sharks, bluefin tuna, whiting, cod and scup. (From a posting to: mfcn-fishlink@igc.topica.com, 8/16/00, from Jersey Coast Anglers Association, 1201 Rt.37 East, Toms River NJ 08753 http://www.jcaa.org and New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, 190 Oberlin Road North, Lakewood NJ 08701 http://www.njsfsc.org/).

US Stock Status Report. On 10/29/99, NMFS released its annual report to Congress on the status of US marine fish stocks, concluding that 98 species were over-fished. Changes since 1998 include 10 species removed but 18 species added, 5 species were approaching an over-fished condition (down from 10 species in 1998 as 5 species were moved to the over-fished category), 127 species were not over-fished (200 species in 1998) 79 species were moved to the "unknown" category because of more stringent information requirements). The status of 674 species (544 species in 1998) was unknown (99B1).

The NMFS fall 1997 report to Congress stated that in the coastal waters of the US, 86 species were over-fished, 183 species were not over-fished, 10 species were approaching an over-fished condition, and the status of 448 species was unknown (98C1).

Shark populations off the southeastern US coast have been reduced by 50-75% in the past 10-20 years (98M1).

The Totoabu, which once bred in the Colorado River estuary, is on the verge of extinction (95P4).

Striped bass harvests in Chesapeake Bay (a drainage basin of 64,000 sq. miles): 3000 tons/ year in the 1960s; 300 tons in 1982). Shucked oyster meat harvested from the Bay: over 20,000 tons/ year in the mid-1950s; 11,000 tons in 1982 (The Environmental Fund data, May 1984).

Foreign catch from the US EEZ declined from 1.9 million tons in 1977 to zero in 1992 and subsequent years. Domestic off-shore catch increased from 0.8 million tons in 1977 to over 3.15 million tons in 1993 (98B2).

In 1996 US commercial fishermen landed almost 3.75 million tons of edible fish and shellfish, worth over $3.3 billion at the dock. Imports supplied another 1.6 million tons worth more than $6.7 billion. After converting processed imports to comparable landed weight, 45.1% of the US supply of fish and shellfish came from imports in 1996. US consumers spent $41.2 billion on edible seafood in 1996 (98B2).

In Colombia, annual fish production in the Magdalena River has dropped from 72,000 tonnes to 23,000 tonnes in 15 years (Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health report "Water Crisis Looms as World Population Grows", 8/26/98).

Nile River fisheries have collapsed, as have Mediterranean sardine fisheries (96M1).

Fish production has dropped by 70% in Egypt's Lake Maryut since the 1970s (96M1).

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