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Australia's 60-year commercial fish catch bigger than reported: research

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's commercial fishing industry has caught millions of tonnes more fish over the past 60 years than the figure officially reported, according to local media reports on Thursday.

Researchers from the Fisheries Center at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada estimate Australia's long-term fish catch for 1950-2010 was four million tonnes or 50 percent higher than the figure reported to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.

The researchers said the main reason for the discrepancy was fisheries not counting the number of fish discarded because they were too small, above the quota or the wrong type.

UBC Professor Daniel Pauly told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday that misreporting, whether accidental or intentional, makes it more difficult to get a handle on the state of fisheries.

"Some of the underreporting is innocent," Pauly said. "For example this count -- fish that are discarded are not reported by any country -- but it ought to be counted because in the long term or maybe in the medium term, discarding is going to be abolished.

"We cannot afford to throw away so much food."

European Union has outlawed the practice and Pauly said he expects the rest of the world will soon fall into line.

Australia's level of discards has dropped by 90 percent since a peak in the 1990s because of new technologies available on trawlers.

The industry has objected to the research, saying the focus should be on the future, not the past. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences reported last year that no Australian-managed fisheries were subject to overfishing.

Pauly said Australia stood as a world leader in its fisheries management.

Super trawlers, boats longer than 130 meters, are banned from operating in Australian waters.

Mid-trawlers are also currently banned from operating at night after a 95-meter boat killed eight dolphins and four seals in its first two voyages. Endi