We are highly pleased to inform you that the first report in the series of FAO/BOBP-IGO Study on “Techno-economic Performance Review of the Main Global Fishing Fleets” is published. The report titled “Techno-economic Performance Review of Selected Fishing Fleets in Europe” is available online at DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9188en . The hard copies of the report will be available after September 2020.
Economic performance of fishing fleet is a key information on marine fisheries management. It helps policy makers identify the sector’s SWOT and benchmark relative performance of the national fishing fleets. There is a strong demand from the sector for this information as the last performance review was carried out nearly two decades back. The 2020 study is more comprehensive both in coverage and reporting. Later in the series, regional reviews of the main fishing fleets of North and South America and Asia (covering Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Korea) will be published. While in the Global review, the final report of the series will contain information from Africa.
The methodology of the study, keeping in view the disparity across the countries, was finalized during a FAO/BOBP-IGO workshop held in Chennai, India, on 18–20 September 2018 and finding of the study were reviewed during an Expert Meeting held in Rome, Italy, on 8–10 October 2019. The BOBP-IGO coordinated the Global Study. The BOBP-IGO likes to thank Dr Raymon van Anrooy of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department for his leadership and all the national consultants and experts for their support in completing the Project.
Main findings of the techno-economic performance review of selected fishing fleets in Europe:
The country studies are based on fishing fleet data for 2016 (as baseline) collected by the Governments of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland within the European Union Data Collection Framework, the Directorate of Fisheries in Norway and the Turkish Statistical Institute, and also include information from surveys conducted in 2019.
This European regional review includes financial and economic information on 42 fishing fleet segments, including demersal trawlers, purse seiners, pelagic trawlers, long-liners, coastal fishing vessels using passive gears, pots and traps fishing vessels and small-scale hand-liners.
Analysis of the costs and earnings data of 42 of the main fishing fleet segments in Europe showed that all types of vessels had a positive gross cash flow. The average net profit margin of the fishing fleet segments covered in this review was very good with 20 percent.
Comparing the 2016 financial and economic performance of fleets with those of some of the same fleet segments included in the 2002–2003 review study of FAO, it is clear that in general fishing fleet performance in Europe has improved. Revenues increased faster than costs for most fleet segments. Lower fuel costs and higher seafood prices compared to 2014 and 2015 also contributed to performance improvements in 2016.