Global gridded fishing exploitation patterns (F/FMSY) of demersal and pelagic fish

Global gridded fishing mortality (F) relative to the fishing mortality that supports maximum sustainable yield (FMSY) for three fish functional types: forage fish, large pelagic fish, and demersal fish. 

Years 1841-2004

0.5-degree spatial resolution

Outputs can be used to simulate historical fishing patterns of pelagic and demersal fish in ecosystem models. The F/FMSY needs to be multiplied with FMSY of each fish type in the model to obtain F. FMSY will depend on fish model specification and assumptions. Outputs are also provided as a time series per functional type and LME.

The F/FMSY timeseries are estimated using reconstructed catch data and a data limited catch assessment model for all LME × functional type combinations with intermediate and high catches. For all remaining combinations and the high seas, F/FMSY timeseries are estimated by converting nominal effort timeseries per functional type to an F/FMSY using conversion factors. The estimated F/FMSY timeseries are allocated per functional type, ecosystem, and year across a 0.5-degree spatial grid in proportion to total gridded effort in each ecosystem.

The gridded F/FMSY are used as input into the FEISTY model forced by outputs from GFDL’s ocean model (MOM6-COBALTv2) to generate historical time series of fish biomass and catch. The catch and biomass simulated FEISTY outputs are available between 1961 and 2004 for each LME and the High seas. 

Reference to the paper with full description of the analysis: 

van Denderen PD, N Jacobsen, KH Andersen, JL Blanchard, C Novaglio, CA Stock, CM Petrik (submitted) Estimating fishing exploitation rates to simulate global catches and biomass changes of pelagic and demersal fish Earth's Future

Additional data sources:

Reconstructed fisheries catches: Watson, R. A database of global marine commercial, small-scale, illegal and unreported fisheries catch 1950–2014. Sci Data 4, 170039 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.39

Novaglio, C., Rousseau, Y., Watson, R. A., & Blanchard J. L. (2024). ISIMIP3a reconstructed fishing activity data (v1.0) [data set]. ISIMIP Repository. https://doi.org/10.48364/ISIMIP.240282

Global gridded fishing effort data reconstruction: Rousseau, Y., Blanchard, J. L., Novaglio, C., Pinnell, K., Tittensor, D. P., Watson, R. A., & Ye, Y. (2022). Global Fishing Effort [Data]. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS).