FIGURE 1. Estimated global fish landings 1950–1999.

Figures for invertebrates, groundfish, pelagic fish and Peruvian anchoveta are from FAO catch statistics, with adjustment for over-reporting from China²⁶. Fish caught but then discarded were not included in the FAO landings; data relate to the early 1990s⁸³ were made proportional to the FAO landings for other periods. Other illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) catches⁶⁵ were estimated by identifying, for each 5-year block, the dominant jurisdiction and gear use (and hence incentive for IUU)⁸⁴; reported catches were then raised by the percentage of IUU in major fisheries for each 5-year block. The resulting estimates of IUU are very tentative (note dotted y-axis), and we consider that complementing landings statistics with more reliable estimates of discards and IUU is crucial for a transition to ecosystem-based management.