Global and European Fisheries Map

Summary

The video highlights the significant impact of global fishing fleets on the world’s oceans. Since 1950, fishing areas have expanded dramatically, leading to the overexploitation of fish stocks. Over 80% of global fishery resources are now fully or overexploited, with many ecosystems severely damaged. European Union (EU) fleets are responsible for a large portion of this, with significant catches occurring outside European waters. WWF advocates for sustainable EU fisheries both within and beyond EU boundaries to reduce overfishing and preserve marine life.

Takeaways

• 😀 Over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, where fishing has been a major human activity for centuries.
• 😀 The global demand for seafood has led to the development of a massive fishing industry, with increasingly larger ships.
• 😀 Over 80% of the world's fishery resources are either fully exploited or overexploited.
• 😀 The expansion of global fishing fleets has significantly increased since 1950, causing major impacts on marine ecosystems.
• 😀 Scientists calculate the primary production (PPR) of each region to measure the energy fish need to grow, which is used to assess the impact of fishing.
• 😀 The area fished by global fleets has expanded by a factor of 10, affecting 100 million square kilometers of ocean.
• 😀 About one-third of the world's oceans are now severely damaged due to intensive fishing.
• 😀 In Europe, three out of four fish stocks are overfished, with smaller and fewer fish being caught by industrial fleets.
• 😀 The EU fishing fleets have expanded their operations beyond European waters, with around 30% of the catch now sourced from outside EU waters.
• 😀 The fishing fleets of Europe have contributed significantly to global overfishing, particularly in the West Indian Ocean where their extraction is high.
• 😀 WWF advocates for more sustainable fishing practices by the EU, both within and outside European waters, to address overfishing.

Q & A

What percentage of the world's surface is covered by water?

More than 70% of the world's surface is covered with water.

How has the fishing industry evolved over time?

Driven by the worldwide increasing demand for seafood, the global fishing industry has developed with more and bigger ships.

What percentage of global fishery resources are fully or overexploited?

Over 80% of global fishery resources are fully or overexploited.

What does PPR (Primary Production Required) describe?

PPR describes the total amount of energy a fish needs to grow within a certain region.

How does the map illustrate the extraction of energy by fishing fleets?

The maps show the expansion of world fishing fleets since 1950, with blue indicating at least 10% of energy extraction, orange 20%, and red 30% or more.

What is the significance of the blue, orange, and red areas on the maps?

Blue areas represent a 10% energy extraction, orange indicates at least 20%, and red shows at least 30% energy extraction by fishing fleets.

How much of the world’s oceans is currently fished by global fleets?

Today, about 100 million square kilometers, or around one-third of the world's oceans, are fished with such intensity that ecosystems are severely damaged.

What is the current state of fish stocks in Europe?

Three out of four fish stocks in Europe are overfished, and the fish caught by industrial fleets are increasingly smaller and fewer in number.

Where are European fishing fleets expanding their fishing areas?

European fishing fleets have expanded their fishing areas to overseas waters, with 30% of the fish caught by EU vessels now coming from outside European waters.

How does the European fishing fleet impact the West Indian Ocean?

In the West Indian Ocean, European fishing fleets have extracted 10-20% of primary production over the last 20 years, while the world’s fleets account for more than 30% of energy extraction in the same region.

What is the call to action from WWF regarding EU Fisheries?

WWF calls for sustainable EU Fisheries, both within EU waters and outside of them, to combat overfishing.