STATISTICAL NOTE 



The principal source of statistical data for this study was Lloyd 's Register of Shipping which provided 

 uninterrupted statistical data from 1975 through June 1992. The Lloyd's Register of Shipping includes worldwide 

 data for vessels having over 500-gross registered tons (i.e., high-seas fishing vessels) that can be used for tracking 

 overall trends and making comparisons among countries. There were two problems the authors faced when using 

 Lloyd's Register: (1) many high-seas vessels are in the 100-499-GRT range, and (2) Lloyd's Register included 

 Greenland's fleet statistics under Denmark and began including the Faroe Island's fishing fleet statistics under 

 Denmark beginning in 1987. This caused considerable confusion about ihe size of these three countries' fishing 

 fleets. Information was also obtained from a variety of other sources: 



1) FAO: The authors obtained some fleet data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Fishery Fleet 

 Statistics: Bulletin of Fishery Statistics. The FAO statistics also cover the entire world fishing fleet, including small 

 coastal vessels, but frequently have substantial periods for which no data were available, especially during the early 

 1970s, late 1980s, and early 1990s. The FAO statistics were, thus, less useful than the Lloyd's Register of Shipping 

 statistics and were used primarily for general background. 



2) OECD: The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Review of Fisheries in OECD 

 Member Countries was another important source, especially for some of the earlier years. 



3) Country statistics: The authors also used some individual country studies when data were available for long 

 enough periods to reveal meaningful trends. These country studies included the Annual Report on German Fisheries 

 (FRG), Fishery Fleet Statistics (Norway), L'evolution du secteur beige de la peche maritime (Belgium), and Sea 

 Fisheries Statistical Tables (UK). 



Statistics prepared by international organizations and governments range from excellent to poor and, in 

 some instances, non-existent. Different reporting methods and reporting periods can produce minor variations 

 between various sources that complicate meaningful comparisons. Some countries collect data on powered vessels 

 only; some include non-powered fishing vessels in their statistics. Other nations report only vessels over a certain 

 tonnage while still others include only "decked" vessels (i.e. , those with a deck as opposed to open rowboats without 

 a deck). Countries also change their reporting methods or periodically refine their data in later years. The authors 

 recognize that different numbers have been, or can be, cited for the same country's fleet for the same year. This 

 report attempts to overcome the problem by using a single source (Lloyd's Register of Shipping) and supplementing 

 the information with other reliable sources as available. 



