FISHERIES AND THE WORLD FOOD SUPPLY

Food production at a global level is in a state of crisis. In its report State of the World 1995/96, the Worldwatch Institute states that the decline in food is particularly noticeable in two crucial areas, grain and fish. On a per capita basis, the amount of grain and fish is declining from year to year, suggesting that the production limits for the biosphere may have been reached. While in 1984 there were 500 million people living below the starvation level, by 1993, this figure had increased by 60% to 800 million. The Worldwatch Institute's Lester Brown notes that signs are occurring in country after country that environmental pressure, as well as technical and economic activities, are creating increasing ecological and social problems. These are growth related problems which cannot simply be solved by more growth. Global overfishing cannot be solved by building more ships when overcapacity is already a problem.

Global fish production reached 100 million tonnes in 1989 and increased to 109 million tonnes in 1994. Between 1989 and 1993, this figure had declined by four per cent in spite of an increase of the fishing fleet both in quantity as well as in the form of modern technology. Catches increased again in 1994 largely due to much greater catches of Peruvian anchoveta. This level of fish production is only accomplished by aquaculture. In 1984 the total contribution of fish and shellfish farming amounted to 6.9 million tonnes. A decade later, it had almost tripled to 18.5 million tonnes. While some may view this as a solution, it is actually part of the problem, for these farmed fish require food, and much of the food comes from fishmeal. This creates the ironic and ultimately disastrous, situation in which fish are caught, not to feed people, but to feed to other fish which people will then eat. This circle cannot expand forever, so aquaculture is not a solution for the declining food supply of fisheries resulting from fisheries mismanagement.

GLOBAL EXCESS FISHING CAPACITY

In spite of the massive excess capacity in fisheries around the globe, the building of new and more efficient ships continues unabated. Between 1970 and 1990, the FAO recorded a doubling of the global fishing fleet, from 585,000 medium and large-sized vessels to 1.2 million. This is made possible by governments providing extensive subsidies for shipbuilding. The extent of these subsidies is alarming; FAO has calculated that the losses of the global fishing fleet, on an annual basis, amount to an incredible US$54 billion. It is easy to conclude that these subsidies are the engine of today's overfishing.

Unemployment is another major problem in many areas of the world, and fishing companies and shipowners often argue that new vessels create jobs. However, it depends on what vessels are built and how they are used. There is a great disparity between the numbers of jobs provided by vessels such as the American Monarch and those in small-scale fisheries:

0.2-0.3 million people are employed on large-scale vessels 0.9-1.0 million people are employed on medium sized vessels 14-20 million people are employed on artisanal and small vessels

The overall contribution of small vessels to employment is not their only advantage. In order to catch a given amount of fish, this sector employs more people, create less waste and has less need of capital.