The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020

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THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 
2020
Compared with the 2018 edition of 
The State of World 
Fisheries and Aquaculture
,
1
production data for both 
capture fisheries and aquaculture in the 2020 edition 
reflect a downward revision for the years 2009–2016 
as a consequence of revised data for China. In 2016, 
China conducted its third national agriculture census, 
carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural 
Affairs, together with the National Bureau of Statistics. 
The census involved five million interviewees. 
As occurred for the first time in the 2006 census, 
questions on fisheries and aquaculture were also 
included in the 2016 census. Agriculture censuses can 
be invaluable in providing a statistically sound source 
of statistics through the collection of a wider range 
of data compared with those that can be produced 
through administrative data or sample surveys (usually 
used for estimating agriculture statistics, including 
on fisheries and aquaculture). On the basis of the 
census results, and using international standards 
and methodologies, China revised its historical data 
on agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture and 
fisheries up to 2016. The broad data collected through 
the census helped to revise the aquaculture areas, and 
the statistics for seed production, employment, fleet and 
other indicators. These revised data provided improved 
and comprehensive knowledge of the fisheries and 
aquaculture sector and of its magnitude, and they were 
used as a reference for improving previous estimates 
for 2016 data for China’s fish production. Using 2016 
data as its benchmark, China adjusted its fisheries 
and aquaculture production data for 2012–2015 in 
accordance with the ratios of production in annual 
reports from each province for each corresponding 
year. Following the same rationale, and in consultation 
with China, FAO subsequently revised its historical 
statistics for China for 2009–2011 to better reflect the 
overall development of China’s production and avoid a 
major break in series and trends. 
Revisions varied according to species, area and 
sector, and, excluding aquatic plants, the overall result 
was a downward correction for 2016 data of about 
13.5 percent (5.2 million tonnes) for China’s total 
fisheries and aquaculture production. This overall figure 
reflected a downward revision of 7.0 percent 
(3.4 million tonnes) for China’s aquaculture production 
and 10.1 percent (1.8 million tonnes) for its capture 
fisheries production. These adjustments, together with 
revisions provided by a few other countries, resulted in 
a downward adjustment of FAO’s 2016 global statistics 
of about 2 percent for global capture fisheries 
production and 5 percent for global aquaculture 
production. It should also be noted that China’s 
production of aquatic plants was also revised to reflect 
a decrease in dried weight of 8 percent in 2016. 
Despite the revision, the decline in its capture 
fisheries production (estimated at 11 percent in 2018 
compared with 2015) and the slowdown in the 
growth of its aquaculture production – mainly due to 
the implementation of its 2016–2020 Five-Year Plan,
2
China remains by far the largest fish-producing 
country. In 2018, its production reached 62.2 million 
tonnes (47.6 million tonnes from aquaculture and 
14.6 million tonnes from capture fisheries), 
corresponding to a share of 58 percent of total 
aquaculture, 15 percent of capture fisheries and 
35 percent of total fish production. 
This is the second time that China has undertaken 
a major revision of its capture fisheries and 
aquaculture data. The first time was for the years 
1997–2006. The 2006 data were modified on the 
basis of a revision of the statistical methodology as 
an outcome of China’s 2006 national agricultural 
census, as well as on the basis of results from various 
pilot surveys, most of which were conducted in 
collaboration with FAO. As a result, the 2006 data 
for China were revised downwards by more than 
10 percent, corresponding to a reduction of more 
than 2 million tonnes in capture production and more 
than 3 million tonnes in aquaculture production. 
These changes implied a downward adjustment of 
2 percent for global capture fisheries production and 
of 8 percent for global aquaculture production. 
China’s statistics for 1997–2005 were subsequently 
revised, with a downward impact on the global 
fisheries and aquaculture statistics reported by FAO. 
More information on the 1997–2006 changes and 
the work carried out by FAO in consultation with the 
China’s authorities is available in the 2008, 2010 
and 2012 editions of 
The State of World Fisheries 
and Aquaculture
.
BOX 1
REVISION OF FAO FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION STATISTICS
1
FAO. 2018. 
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 – Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals
. Rome. 224 pp. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
(also available at www.fao.org/3/i9540en/i9540en.pdf).
2
Ibid, Box 31, p. 183.
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PART 1 
WORLD REVIEW
Catches of four of the most highly valuable 
groups – tunas, cephalopods, shrimps and 
lobsters – marked new record catches in 2017 and 
2018, or declined marginally from peak catches 
recorded in the last five years:
„
Catches of tuna and tuna-like species 
continued their year-on-year increase, 
reaching their highest levels in 2018 at over 
7.9 million tonnes, mostly the result of catches 
in the Western and Central Pacific, which 
increased from about 2.6 million tonnes in 
the mid-2000s to over 3.5 million tonnes in 
2018. Within this species group, skipjack and 
yellowfin tuna (
Thunnus albacares
) accounted 
for about 58 percent of the catches in 2018.
„
Cephalopod catches declined to about 
3.6 million tonnes in 2017 and 2018, from 
their peak catches of 4.9 million in 2014, but 
remained at the relatively high levels that 
have marked their almost continuous growth 
over the last 20 years. Cephalopods are 
fast-growing species highly influenced by 
environmental variability, which probably 
explains their catch variability, including 
the recent decline in catches for the three 
main squid species – jumbo flying squid 
(
Dosidicus gigas
), Argentine shortfin squid 
(
Illex argentinus
) and Japanese flying squid 
(
Todarodes pacificus
).
„
Shrimp and prawn catches recorded new 
highs in 2017 and 2018 at over 336 000 tonnes, 
mostly due to the continued recovery in 
catches of Argentine red shrimp (
Pleoticus 
muelleri
) as a result of successful management 
measures enforced by the national authorities 
of Argentina. The increase in catches offset 
declines in the other main shrimp species, 
FIGURE 5
TOP TEN GLOBAL CAPTURE PRODUCERS, 2018
Marine waters captures
Share of global captures (cumulative %)
Inland waters captures
15%
23%
30%
36%
41%
46%
49%
53%
55%
57%
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16