Total marine fishery catch for the Azores (1950-2010)

Abstract

Official fishery statistics often fail to report what has been truly extracted from the marine environment. Therefore, in this study, we estimated illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) catch in the context of a small-scale fishery (the Azores) and provide an improved compilation of official catches, including whaling. Reconstructed removals during 1950-2010 total 1.10 million t (95% CI, 1.06-1.16 million t), a factor of 1.17 higher than the amount reported in Azorean official statistics. Unreported catches were attributed to foreign fishing activities (27%), recreational fishing (25%), discards from the demersal fishing fleet (21%), baitfish for the pole-and-line tuna fishery (11%), discards from pelagic longlining (7%), local pelagic fleet landing outside the Azores (3%), coastal invertebrate harvesting (6%), and big-game fishing (0.1%). The overall low level of unreported catches compared to other locations might reflect the small-scale nature of the fisheries, the geographic isolation of the islands, and the small size of its community. © 2013 © 2013 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.