Fish catch by fishing sector in Australia
Australia: Fish catch by fishing sector was 185,704 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
185,704
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
54th
of 170 countries
All-time high
332,788
in 1991
All-time low
30,307
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Fish catch by fishing sector in Australia, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fish catch by fishing sector in Australia is 185,704, measured in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish catch by fishing sector in Australia peaked at 332,788 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 30,307, in 1950.
Australia ranks 54th of 170 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Fish catch by fishing sector in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 30,307 | — |
| 1951 | 31,387 | +3.6% |
| 1952 | 36,407 | +16.0% |
| 1953 | 40,673 | +11.7% |
| 1954 | 40,765 | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 41,564 | +2.0% |
| 1956 | 44,528 | +7.1% |
| 1957 | 47,740 | +7.2% |
| 1958 | 49,643 | +4.0% |
| 1959 | 53,175 | +7.1% |
| 1960 | 54,038 | +1.6% |
| 1961 | 52,730 | -2.4% |
| 1962 | 58,782 | +11.5% |
| 1963 | 67,988 | +15.7% |
| 1964 | 70,523 | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 70,981 | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 76,449 | +7.7% |
| 1967 | 82,216 | +7.5% |
| 1968 | 91,740 | +11.6% |
| 1969 | 98,430 | +7.3% |
| 1970 | 114,389 | +16.2% |
| 1971 | 151,967 | +32.9% |
| 1972 | 158,583 | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 170,122 | +7.3% |
| 1974 | 201,111 | +18.2% |
| 1975 | 144,798 | -28.0% |
| 1976 | 169,712 | +17.2% |
| 1977 | 201,457 | +18.7% |
| 1978 | 198,862 | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 212,670 | +6.9% |
| 1980 | 175,111 | -17.7% |
| 1981 | 262,270 | +49.8% |
| 1982 | 277,475 | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 272,400 | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 247,176 | -9.3% |
| 1985 | 240,579 | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 232,763 | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 255,795 | +9.9% |
| 1988 | 272,531 | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 280,444 | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 295,244 | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 332,788 | +12.7% |
| 1992 | 289,983 | -12.9% |
| 1993 | 283,027 | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 272,287 | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 299,317 | +9.9% |
| 1996 | 269,742 | -9.9% |
| 1997 | 285,944 | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 297,420 | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 295,098 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 254,140 | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 270,989 | +6.6% |
| 2002 | 210,970 | -22.1% |
| 2003 | 231,083 | +9.5% |
| 2004 | 236,911 | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 222,917 | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 199,943 | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 182,515 | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 176,412 | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 172,015 | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 184,620 | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 176,414 | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 198,642 | +12.6% |
| 2013 | 192,190 | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 163,338 | -15.0% |
| 2015 | 173,036 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 189,694 | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 187,250 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 185,704 | -0.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 185,704 is above the median for high income countries, which is 65,050, 2.9× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Australia's 185,704 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75,456, 2.5× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 41,619 | 30,307 | 53,175 | 10 |
| 1960s | 72,388 | 52,730 | 98,430 | 10 |
| 1970s | 172,367 | 114,389 | 212,670 | 10 |
| 1980s | 251,654 | 175,111 | 280,444 | 10 |
| 1990s | 292,085 | 269,742 | 332,788 | 10 |
| 2000s | 215,790 | 172,015 | 270,989 | 10 |
| 2010s | 183,432 | 163,338 | 198,642 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish catch by fishing sector in Australia?
- Fish catch by fishing sector in Australia was 185,704 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish catch by fishing sector recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 332,788 in 1991.
- What is the lowest fish catch by fishing sector recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 30,307 in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for fish catch by fishing sector?
- Australia ranks 54th out of 170 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish catch by fishing sector rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish catch by fishing sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).