Fishermen

Some 20 million fishermen ply the world’s seas and island water, or farm fish. They harvest about 100 million tons of fish, shellfish, invertebrates, and aquatic plants every year. Around 80 percent of the catch is landed by commercial operator and roughly 20 percent, largely in the developing world, by the world’s 12-15 million small-scale, traditional fishermen. A further 16 million tons are produced by fish farmers. Over half the world’s catch is taken by developing countries.

Fish is the world’s largest food harvest, and provides the major source of animal protein for million of people, most of them in Asia. It is also particularly important in the diets of such as developed countries as Japan, Spain, and Iceland.

In recent years, fish stocks have been seriously depleted by large scale commercial operations on the high seas and small and medium scale ones in waters falling under national jurisdiction. All 17 of the world’s major fishing areas have either reached, or exceeded their natural limits and 9 are in serious decline.

Small scale, traditional fishermen in the tropics, who operate their canoes and small boats, are less likely to over fish, but very often the pressure of numbers overwhelms the age-old systems for managing stocks. These traditional fishing communities are among the poorest and most neglected in the world. They often lack clean drinking water, sanitation, housing, medical care, transport, and communications as well safe and well-equipped harbors and connection to the markets.