Definition
According to the FAO, the term "fishery vessel" refers to "mobile floating objects of any kind and size, operating in freshwater, brackish and marine areas, and used for catching, harvesting, searching, transporting, landing, preserving and/or processing fish, shellfish and other aquatic animals, residues and plants."
Decked vessels are those that have a fixed structural deck covering the entire hull above the deepest operating waterline. Decked fishery vessels data include trawlers, purse seiners, gill netters, long liners, trap setters, other seiners and liners, multipurpose vessels, dredgers and other fishing vessels, and non-fishing vessels such as motherships, fish carriers, fishery research vessels, etc.
Years Covered and Frequency of Update
Data are available for most countries for 1995 and 1998. These data are being revised by FAO. Please contact the source for the latest estimates.
Methodology
Fleet data are collected by the FAO through questionnaires submitted to the national reporting offices of the member countries. Other national and/or regional published sources are also used to estimate fleet size.
Since the annual inquiry on the number and capacity of world fishing fleets did not receive adequate attention from countries in 1995, FAO attempted to increase returns for the 1998 survey by simplifying the questionnaires and including parameters in line with those currently utilized as fleet measurements (e.g. Gross tonnage, rather than Gross Register Tonnage). As part of this process, FAO eliminated questions about fishery support vessels (e.g. fish carriers) and "flag of convenience" vessels from the survey. "Flags of convenience" vessels are those that operate in one country or region, but are registered in another country to take advantage of fewer registration or environmental requirements.
Data Reliability
FAO recognizes that these fleet statistics are incomplete and may not accurately reflect the current world fishing capacity. In addition, these data may include vessels that are no longer in operation. Due to changes made in the annual inquiry between data gathering years, the 1995 data are not always comparable to the 1998 data. Data on undecked vessels are being collected by FAO, but are not yet available.
The quality of the estimates vary because many countries lack the resources to adequately monitor and report on fleet size. Please refer to the original source for further information on the variables and collection methodologies or to the publication: "Fishery Fleet Statistics, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1989-95". Bulletin of Fishery Statistics No. 35 (FAO, Rome, 1998).
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2002. Fishery Information, Data and Statistics Unit (FIDI). (unpublished data, July 2002). FIDI Web site: http://www.fao.org/fi/struct/fidi.asp (FAO: Rome).
