Fish production, catches and the carrying capacity of the world oceans

A brief review of the status of the world fisheries is presented with emphasis on the differences between catches (= landings + bycatch), biological production of fish, and predation (= production - catches). The ECOPATH II approach implemented as a new, Windows-based software is then shown to allow construction of a stratified world model accoutinng for global catches, production of and predation on fishes, and thus improved estimates of global potentials. A newly initiated, cooperative project is described through which the foundation for such a global model could be constructed, based on a stratified database with more than 100 trophic models. Collaborators are invited to join in this, and will be assisted in constructing models covering their areas of interest.

Measuring Fishing Capacity and Utilization with Commonly Available Data: An Application to Alaska Fisheries

Due to a lack of data on vessel costs, earnings, and input use, many of the capacity assessment models developed in the economics literature cannot be applied in U.S. fisheries. This incongruity between available data and model requirements underscores the need for developing applicable methodologies. This paper presents a means of assessing fishing capacity and utilization (for both vessels and fish stocks) with commonly available data, while avoiding some of the shortcomings associated with competing “frontier” approaches (such as data envelopment analys

Fish quality and processing in Malawi: responding to challenges through institutional capacity building

Fish processing and quality control in Malawi are still poorly developed. Traditional fish processing methods are widely employed resulting in considerable post-harvest losses. One of the major challenges to steady and sustainable development in fish processing and quality management is the lack of adequately trained personel. This is directly reflected in poor institutional capacity. This project analyses the situation in fish processing and quality management in Malawi to identify gaps that require improvement. Specifically, the project assesses the role of training institutions in Malawi in capacity building for fish processing and quality management. The institution under discussion in this project is the Aquaculture and Fisheries Science Department at Bunda College of Agriculture, Malawi which is responsible for training students in aquaculture and fisheries science at the undergraduate level.Improvement in the teaching of fish processing and quality management in the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Science was identified as the major gap requiring action. The current teaching syllabus was thus analysed to identify weak areas. In conclusion, the project developed (as the major output) a teaching handbook for the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Science.