- Name
- Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels
- Indicator purpose
- The purpose of this indicator is to measure the sustainability of fish resources.
- Abstract
- The indicator measures the sustainability of fish resources based on two major considerations: yield and reproduction. When a stock is fished biologically sustainable, it produces good yield without impairing the stock's reproductivity, reaching a good balance between human use and ecological conservation. The proportion is just calculated based on stock numbers, without weighting either by its production volume or stock abundance, that is every fish stock is considered of the same importance.
- Contact organization / person
- Fisheries Department
- Unit of measure
- Percentage (%)
- Other characteristics
- Fish stock assessment science defines the long-term sustainability of fish resources as their abundance is fished at the level that produces the maximum sustainable level. The basic benchmarks for the sustainability of fisheries are set by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, Article 61(3)).
- Classification used
- A fish stock of which abundance is at or greater than the level, that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is classified as biologically sustainable. In contrast, when abundance falls below the MSY level, the stock is considered biologically unsustainable.
- Disaggregation
- Disaggregation by country is not possible for the moment.
- Key statistical concepts
- Fishery sustainability is defined based on stock abundance. To know stock abundance, one needs to carry out stock assessment that uses fish catch statistics, fishing effort data and biological information and fit the data to a population dynamics model. After completing stock assessment for all stocks concerned, fish stocks that have abundance at or above the level associated with the maximum sustainable yield are counted as biologically sustainable, and otherwise are considered as overfished.
- Recommended uses
- This indicator is used by Fisheries Department to measure the sustainability of fish resources.
- Other comments
- The indicator measures the sustainability of fishery resources very well and is an end-result measure of Target 14.2.
All the metadata shown in this document was gathered from United Nation Statistics Division. The metadata was extracted from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/.
- Target 2020
- 4. By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
