Bigger Fishing Haul Forecast

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30763, 29 May 1965, Page 15

Bigger Fishing Haul Forecast

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.)

LONDON, May 28.

The world’s fishermen should catch, this year, more fish than ever caught before in any one year, says Mr Roy Jackson, director of the Fisheries Division of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation.

“Our most recent statistics, for 1963, show a world catch of 46.4 m metric tons. On a rough estimate these sea and freshwater products brought about £2ooom to the fishermen—an average of over £4O a ton,” he said. Nearly one-third of the 1963 world catch was taken by two countries, Peru and Japan. The following countries each took at least one million tons:—Peru, Japan, China, Russia, the United States, Norway, Canada, South Africa and South-West Africa and Spain.

Between 1958 and 1962 these countries averaged between them about 64.5 per cent of the world catch. Mr Jackson says the northwest and north-east Atlantic and Pacific, including the Mediterranean and Black Sea provided nearly 60 per cent of the marine catch. Tropical waters, such as the

west-central Atlantic and Pacific, the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific regions, produced only 17 per cent. “At least some of this must have been taken by northern fishermen with their factory trawlers and mother Ships, far south of their home ports and traditional grounds,” he said.