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This technical report estimates the catch loss arising from overfished fish stocks and the socio-economic impacts associated with this catch loss. In this analysis, catch loss is defined as the difference between the maximum sustainable yield of a fish stock and its catch in the most recent year. We focus on 482 fish stocks identified as ‘overfished’ in the Global Fishing Index, a global assessment of the sustainability of over 1,400 fish stocks conducted by the Minderoo Foundation. For these overfished stocks, we estimate (1) the potential catch loss (in tonnes) from overfished fish stocks; (2) the landed value (in USD) of catch loss; and (3) the number of jobs associated with marine fisheries catch loss worldwide. Our results indicate that the annual estimated catch loss for 482 overfished fish stocks amounted to 15 million tonnes worldwide. This catch loss results in huge societal cost, translating to around US$39 billion in potential lost landed value annually, and an estimated 668,479 associated full time equivalent jobs. If all the overfished fish stocks were fished at MSY, all regions worldwide could potentially gain fishing jobs, with highest potential gains in Latin America and the Caribbean (24% above current jobs). Thus, our analysis emphasises the urgent need to immediately rebuild overfished fish stocks in order to recoup the current economic and social benefits that are forgone with catch loss.

The East and South China Sea Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) contain globally significant biodiversity and habitats. These two LMEs border some of the world’s most populous countries, among which are major fishing nations such as China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Fisheries thus play a prominent economic, food security, social, cultural, and livelihood role in East (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS) countries. However, ECS and SCS fisheries have experienced decades of decline, and their future sustainability is undermined by weak and/or ineffective fisheries management and governance, uncontrolled coastal development, and climate change, among other global, regional, and local scale human and environmental pressures. There is clearly an urgent need to improve marine resource management in the East and South China Sea LMEs. This report is intended to support the call for action to rebuild and protect the LMEs’ marine resources. To do so, our research objectives are: 1) Provide a baseline assessment of the present status of East China Sea fisheries at the LME level; 2) Assess the potential impact of future management and climate change on ECS fisheries and marine ecosystems. The report is split into 4 chapters: Chapter 1 sets the stage by introducing the Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of Asia, and in particular provides indicators on fisheries productivity, trade, fishing capacity and management performance for the East and South China Seas. In Chapter 2, ‘Taking Stock’, we document the current economic and social contribution of fisheries to national economies of the East China Sea1 at the LME scale, and review the present status of ECS fisheries governance. Chapter 3, ‘Global Change’, undertakes ecosystem modelling to assess the potential ecological and economic outcomes of fisheries in both the ECS and SCS under different future scenarios of management and climate change. Chapter 4 investigates the pressing regional issue of biomass fishing by comparing economic returns to the fishery from exploiting juvenile fish versus waiting for the fish to mature. Collectively, the analyses in this report fill a present research gap by providing a comprehensive picture of the substantial socio-economic contributions of ECS fisheries at the LME scale, and showing the potential fisheries and ecosystem trade-offs under future management and climate change scenarios. By doing so, this report helps to inform fisheries policy by highlighting the costs and benefits to ECS society and ecosystems if steps are not taken to improve the current state of national and regional fisheries governance.

Globally, marine fisheries exhibit a great spatial and temporal diversity in the use of fishing gear. However, the development and use of fishing gear for industrial marine fisheries has not been well understood at a global level. Here, we assign all globally reconstructed fisheries catches of the Sea Around Us to a specific gear type. This report documents the results of this gear assignment for each individual fishing country of the Sea Around Us. Globally, we found that bottom trawls and purse seines account for the majority of all gears used, especially when small-scale gears are excluded. We also derive approximate gear type use for small-scale fisheries via an indirect, regionally representative approach. This approach made use of the largest artisanal fishing countries in each region of the world, and assigned the remaining artisanal catches to these countries assuming they are representative of the broader region. The major artisanal gear types worldwide were gillnets and various types of line gear. Changes in gear use over time are presented globally, with all data freely available at www.seaaroundus.org.

Many coral reef fisheries in developing nations have been, or are currently being overexploited, leading to negative ecological and socio-economic effects. Yet, many reef fisheries are often marginalized from policy makers, leading to a lack of effective management and a poor understanding of these valuable fisheries. For example, the small-scale reef fisheries of Pulau Banggi, Sabah, Malaysia, have neither been actively studied nor managed before. This study seeks to understand the dynamics of Banggi's reef fisheries. I first characterize and analyze the ecological, social, and economic aspects of Banggi's reef fisheries. This is done based on monitoring fish landings and interviewing local fishers during two field periods in 2004 and 2005. I then use an ecosystem modelling tool to explore different policy options, and identify a management strategy which is most appropriate given local social and economic conditions. This study suggests that Banggi's reef fisheries resources may still be relatively productive, but have declined significantly over time. They are likely to become depleted in the future if current rates of exploitation are maintained. Results from an ecosystem modelling exercise, considered within the context of Banggi's socio-economic environment, indicate that: i) the establishment of a small, community-managed marine reserve within the current fishing grounds; and ii) the implementation of alternative livelihood programmes, will be the most suitable courses of action for sustainable management of Banggi's reef fisheries.