TrawlBase: developing knowledge and policy for fish stocks in Asia

The WorldFish Center's FiRST (Fisheries Resources Information System and Tools) database, often referred to as "TrawlBase", is a system for organizing, storing, retrieving and exchanging a huge amount of data from past trawls in the seas of Asia.

FiRST allows countries to develop effective and equitable means of restoring and sustainably managing their important, but seriously depleted, coastal fish stocks.

The analyses undertaken in the Sustainable Management of Coastal Fish Stocks in Asia Project show an alarming decline in coastal fishery resources throughout the region. The relative abundance of the larger, more valuable fish species has decreased sharply, and there has been a proportionate increase in smaller, less valuable species.

Key issues with an impact on coastal fisheries resources that are common across the region include:

1. over-fishing and excessive fishing pressure;
2. inappropriate exploitation patterns;
3. post-harvest losses;
4. conflicts between large- and small-scale fisheries;
5. habitat degradation;
6. a deficit of research and information; and
7. institutional weaknesses and constraints.

Collectively, these issues have had impacts on fishery resources, the supply and price of fish to consumers, the income of fishers, and the welfare of coastal communities.

Links:
Assessment, management and future directions for coastal fisheries in Asian countries.