Current FAO fishery statistics programme

Abstract

FIDI, the FAO Fishery Information, Data and Statistics Unit, is responsible for the collection of global fishery statistics. Statistics on catches and landings have been collated by the FAO since 1950. The statistics are usually obtained from national reporting offices and, wherever possible, verified from other sources. The resulting statistics are stored in databases and disseminated through annual publications such as the FAO Yearbook of Fishery Statistics, for catches and landings, aquaculture and commodities (and less frequent for the fleet statistics). The data are also made available in electric form by the distribution of diskettes with yearly updated platform independent databases with time series: FISHSTAT PC, AQUACULT PC and FISHCOMM PC. Details are given of the following FAO Fisheries Databases maintained by FIDI: Nominal catch and landings; Aquaculture production of fish; Fishery commodities; Fleet statistics; Employment statistics; Apparent consumption of fish and fishery products. Fishery statistical software packages are also detailed: ARTPLAN; ARTFISH/ARTSER for Windows; ARTHELP; and, ARTBIEC.