What is the current level of human utilization of the fish productivity 

 of the ocean? 



Of the total volume of the world catch from the ocean (including 

 whales), the overwhelming majority--90% in 1974--consists of fish, 

 followed by invertebrates, then aquatic plants in third place and, 

 finally, whales in fourth place (Table 4), 



Most of these objects (about 90%) are retrieved from the seas and 

 oceans. Over the postwar period, almost the entire increase in the 

 world catch had resulted from further utilization of oceanic biologic 

 resources. Since 1950, when the prewar level of the world fish catch 

 was reached, through 1970, the catch of sea fish has increased by 35.5 

 million tons, of fresh-water fish--by only 6.0 million tons. After 

 1970, the total catch of sea fish significantly decreased (by 5.5 

 million tons by 1973) as a result of the catastrophic drop in the 

 population of the peruvian anchovy, while the catch of fresh-water fish 

 remained almost the same. 



At the present time, inhabitants of the pelagic zone dominate 

 commercial fishing (Table 5). 



The catch of pelagic fish during the postwar period has increased 

 by 27.5 million tons, to a great extent due to the Peruvian anchovy 

 catch, to the point that it represents 70% of the total catch; the catch 

 of benthic fish has increased by only 10.5 million tons. Doubtless, 

 this process is related to some extent to the opening of new regions and 

 methods to fishing, as a result of extensive research operations, as 

 well as the improvement of sonar devices for finding schools of fish and 

 fishing techniques. However, the successful development of pelagic 

 fishing has resulted primarily from the dominance of the population of 

 pelagic fish over that of the benthic inhabitants of the sea (Table 6). 



Most (75%) of the catch consists of fish which feed on zooplankton 

 and phytoplankton, 20% consists of predatory fish, predominantly small 

 predators, while a very small fraction--4%--consists of fish feeding on 

 the benthos. Planktonophages include the most numerous commercial 

 fish: herring, anchovies, sauries, Scombridae, Carangidae, 

 Scorpaenidae, etc. The benthophages include the Pleuronectidae, 

 Cottidae, etc. The large predators include the sharks, tunas and 

 swordfish, while smaller predators include the small tunas and many 

 other fish. 



In recent years, commercial fishing of pelagic fish has been 

 developed primarily with a reduction in the catch of the most valuable 

 inhabitants of the benthic waters, from the standpoint of food (cod, 

 plaice, sea perch, etc.) as a result of a reduction in their population 

 due to intensive fishing. The weight relationship (in %) of the catch 

 of planktonophagous fish, predators, benthophages and euryphages (based 

 on data from 1973) is as follows: 75:20:4:1. 



Predatory fish feed primarily on planktonophagous pelagic fish, 

 and, to a much lesser extent, benthophages. If we assume the feeding 



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