Statizoid

Fish discards by country

Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.

Countries reporting
158
Highest
2.01 million
Russia
Lowest
0.025
Palau
Median
5,276
Years covered
69
1950–2018
Data points
9,371

What the numbers show

Fish discards is currently reported for 158 countries. The highest value is 2.01 million in Russia; the lowest is 0.025 in Palau.

The median across all reporting countries is 5,276, and the mean is 53,913.

Over the past decade 74 countries rose and 80 fell. The largest increase was in Saint Kitts and Nevis (up 812,263.0%), and the largest decrease in Romania (down 99.9%).

Fish discards: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Russia 2.01 million 2018 up 55.8% falling
2 United States 674,076 2018 down 7.1% falling
3 China 609,409 2018 up 179.4% volatile
4 Vietnam 585,344 2018 up 42.9% volatile
5 Japan 414,441 2018 down 28.2% falling
6 Mexico 406,756 2018 up 18.6% rising
7 Peru 326,784 2018 down 35.5% volatile
8 Brazil 298,333 2018 up 7.6% rising
9 Indonesia 296,902 2018 up 25.0% volatile
10 South Korea 229,517 2018 down 37.8% rising
11 India 193,273 2018 up 24.3% volatile
12 Spain 174,809 2018 down 13.7% volatile
13 Morocco 161,670 2018 up 27.9% volatile
14 Ghana 145,268 2018 up 43.1% volatile
15 France 96,060 2018 down 24.0% rising
16 Taiwan 93,770 2018 up 46.4% volatile
17 Guinea 85,618 2018 up 201.1% volatile
18 Portugal 82,934 2018 up 10.4% volatile
19 Mauritania 79,288 2018 down 57.4% volatile
20 Argentina 77,582 2018 down 31.2% volatile
21 Senegal 72,692 2018 up 20.1% volatile
22 Netherlands 71,944 2018 down 17.2% rising
23 Canada 67,972 2018 up 52.4% volatile
24 New Zealand 58,655 2018 up 39.3% volatile
25 Bangladesh 55,883 2018 down 9.5% volatile
26 Hong Kong 54,050 2018 down 10.3% volatile
27 Angola 48,865 2018 up 27.7% volatile
28 Myanmar 39,906 2018 down 1.7% volatile
29 Comoros 38,566 2018 up 4,391.0% volatile
30 South Africa 37,688 2018 down 12.5% volatile
31 Thailand 37,041 2018 down 34.4% volatile
32 Turkey 34,619 2018 down 25.2% rising
33 Italy 31,443 2018 down 43.1% falling
34 Algeria 31,258 2018 up 30.9% volatile
35 United Kingdom 31,079 2018 down 39.8% volatile
36 Iran 29,394 2018 up 132.3% volatile
37 Iceland 28,914 2018 down 22.1% volatile
38 Greenland 27,320 2018 up 40.8% volatile
39 Belize 26,410 2018 down 65.4% volatile
40 Poland 26,333 2018 up 189.9% volatile
42 Denmark 25,389 2018 up 31.4% volatile
43 Mozambique 25,178 2018 up 28.3% volatile
44 Egypt 24,067 2018 down 12.2% volatile
45 Saint Kitts and Nevis 23,560 2018 up 812,263.0% volatile
46 Germany 22,291 2018 down 56.4% volatile
47 Namibia 21,602 2018 up 21.8% volatile
48 Australia 21,571 2018 down 9.8% volatile
49 Georgia 21,511 2018 up 270.7% volatile
50 Costa Rica 20,647 2018 down 30.1% volatile
51 Panama 20,033 2018 down 27.5% flat
52 Ecuador 19,789 2018 down 13.1% volatile
53 Philippines 18,948 2018 down 34.3% volatile
54 Sri Lanka 17,512 2018 down 23.8% volatile
55 Libya 17,225 2018 up 162.0% volatile
56 Sweden 16,823 2018 up 338.5% rising
57 Malaysia 16,711 2018 up 13.0% volatile
58 Guyana 13,945 2018 up 33.7% volatile
59 Kuwait 13,607 2018 down 51.6% rising
60 Greece 13,602 2018 down 57.2% rising
61 Tunisia 13,100 2018 up 24.6% volatile
62 Curacao 12,625 2018 up 1,258.3% volatile
63 Belgium 12,601 2018 up 36.1% falling
64 Madagascar 10,135 2018 up 131.2% falling
65 Papua New Guinea 9,496 2018 up 50.5% volatile
66 Nicaragua 9,062 2018 up 52.3% volatile
67 Norway 8,624 2018 down 82.4% volatile
68 Somalia 8,349 2018 up 27.2% volatile
69 Cape Verde 8,118 2018 up 266.0% volatile
70 Seychelles 8,028 2018 up 113.1% volatile
71 Chile 7,705 2018 down 78.6% volatile
72 Latvia 7,569 2018 down 85.3% volatile
73 El Salvador 7,498 2018 down 24.9% volatile
74 Bahrain 7,487 2018 down 25.3% rising
75 Trinidad and Tobago 6,664 2018 up 37.3% volatile
76 Guatemala 6,635 2018 up 88.4% volatile
77 Saudi Arabia 6,614 2018 up 8.4% volatile
78 Vanuatu 6,317 2018 down 10.8% volatile
79 Oman 5,941 2018 up 156.3% volatile
80 Pakistan 5,286 2018 up 17.0% volatile
81 Estonia 5,266 2018 up 144.5% volatile
82 Uruguay 5,064 2018 down 47.4% volatile
83 Fiji 5,034 2018 up 6.2% volatile
84 Croatia 4,094 2018 down 34.7% volatile
85 Suriname 3,908 2018 down 4.5% volatile
86 Falkland Islands 3,761 2018 up 15.7% volatile
87 Kiribati 3,731 2018 up 1,779.3% volatile
88 Honduras 3,675 2018 up 503.3% volatile
89 Solomon Islands 3,552 2018 up 1,295.4% volatile
90 French Polynesia 3,384 2018 up 64.7% volatile
91 Lithuania 2,891 2018 down 83.9% volatile
92 Faroe Islands 2,729 2018 down 61.5% volatile
93 Venezuela 2,693 2018 down 79.1% volatile
94 Tanzania 2,664 2018 up 25.5% volatile
95 Nigeria 2,418 2018 down 22.8% volatile
96 Colombia 2,407 2018 down 66.4% volatile
97 Yemen 2,249 2018 up 117.6% volatile
98 Ukraine 2,206 2018 down 96.1% volatile
99 Marshall Islands 2,092 2018 up 128.7% volatile
100 Albania 1,922 2018 up 83.9% volatile
101 Cameroon 1,831 2018 down 3.8% volatile
102 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1,608 2018 down 72.0% volatile
103 Cambodia 1,536 2018 up 132.7% volatile
104 Cook Islands 1,322 2018 up 63.3% volatile
105 Brunei 1,064 2017 down 59.2% volatile
106 North Korea 1,050 2018 down 6.1% volatile
107 Samoa 809.81 2018 down 32.5% volatile
108 Mauritius 791.2 2018 up 591.1% volatile
109 Qatar 738.41 2018 down 7.9% volatile
110 Cote d'Ivoire 708.5 2018 down 37.1% volatile
111 Bulgaria 664.3 2018 up 18.2% volatile
112 Kenya 663.31 2018 up 23.6% volatile
114 American Samoa 626.25 2018 down 36.2% volatile
115 Israel 617.23 2018 down 46.7% volatile
116 Congo 601.99 2018 down 34.4% volatile
117 New Caledonia 535.16 2018 up 40.9% volatile
118 Sierra Leone 495.59 2018 down 96.6% volatile
119 United Arab Emirates 397.5 2018 up 4.8% volatile
120 Finland 378.42 2018 up 74.0% falling
121 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 365.46 2018 down 57.5% volatile
122 Iraq 339.62 2018 up 56.2% volatile
123 Dominica 302.84 2018 down 94.4% volatile
124 Gabon 268.65 2018 down 54.0% volatile
125 Tuvalu 182.08 2018 up 61.6% volatile
126 Syria 179.59 2018 down 61.3% volatile
127 Jamaica 177.69 2018 up 21.4% volatile
128 Montenegro 142.83 2018 up 66.1% volatile
129 Guinea-Bissau 121.23 2003 up 26,425.0% volatile
130 Sudan 102.19 2009 up 186.3% falling
131 Barbados 97.24 2018 up 51.4% volatile
132 Eritrea 92.26 1980 down 90.0% volatile
133 Gambia 76.23 2014 down 96.2% volatile
134 Maldives 53.07 2018 down 81.7% volatile
135 Reunion 28.81 2018 down 94.3% volatile
136 Benin 21.13 2018 up 2,533.8% volatile
137 Saint Barthelemy 20.83 2018 unchanged volatile
138 Lebanon 19.53 2018 down 89.6% volatile
140 Grenada 16.11 2018 down 95.0% volatile
141 Bermuda 15.97 2018 up 2,763.9% volatile
142 Cuba 12.95 2018 up 22.2% volatile
143 Saint Lucia 11.85 2018 down 82.3% volatile
144 Djibouti 9.51 2000 down 8.3% volatile
145 Equatorial Guinea 9.25 2018 down 37.1% volatile
146 Slovenia 7.79 2018 down 99.8% volatile
147 Romania 7.36 2018 down 99.9% volatile
148 Cayman Islands 6.25 2018 unchanged volatile
149 Puerto Rico 5.89 2018 down 71.9% volatile
150 Jordan 4.6 1989 down 69.7% volatile
151 Tonga 3.54 2009 down 98.7% volatile
152 Aruba 2.96 2018 down 2.5% volatile
153 British Virgin Islands 1.42 2018 up 53.4% volatile
154 Togo 1.21 2018 down 99.1% volatile
155 Sao Tome and Principe 1.2 2017 down 2.9% volatile
156 Niue 0.8472 2009 — volatile
157 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.8156 1995 down 84.7% volatile
158 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.75 2018 unchanged volatile
159 Liberia 0.5501 2018 down 46.9% volatile
160 Saint Helena 0.1479 2007 down 98.9% volatile
161 Palau 0.025 2011 down 98.8% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Fish discards
Source
Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
161 places, 9,371 data points, 1950–2018
Last refreshed

Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.