Fish discards in Mauritania
Mauritania: Fish discards was 79,288 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Fish discards in Mauritania, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Mauritania recorded 79,288 for fish discards in 2018.
The figure is down 5.8% on the previous year and down 57.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fish discards in Mauritania peaked at 234,655 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1,677, in 1951.
That places Mauritania 19th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fish discards in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1,680 | — |
| 1951 | 1,677 | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 2,395 | +42.8% |
| 1953 | 2,411 | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 2,433 | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 2,077 | -14.6% |
| 1956 | 2,090 | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 1,743 | -16.6% |
| 1958 | 3,829 | +119.7% |
| 1959 | 3,745 | -2.2% |
| 1960 | 4,447 | +18.8% |
| 1961 | 5,806 | +30.6% |
| 1962 | 5,738 | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 5,722 | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 5,526 | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 6,298 | +14.0% |
| 1966 | 7,803 | +23.9% |
| 1967 | 8,931 | +14.5% |
| 1968 | 12,297 | +37.7% |
| 1969 | 15,396 | +25.2% |
| 1970 | 18,174 | +18.0% |
| 1971 | 21,747 | +19.7% |
| 1972 | 12,764 | -41.3% |
| 1973 | 11,108 | -13.0% |
| 1974 | 18,091 | +62.9% |
| 1975 | 12,339 | -31.8% |
| 1976 | 11,630 | -5.7% |
| 1977 | 13,557 | +16.6% |
| 1978 | 19,190 | +41.6% |
| 1979 | 16,177 | -15.7% |
| 1980 | 16,742 | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 109,026 | +551.2% |
| 1982 | 141,297 | +29.6% |
| 1983 | 158,966 | +12.5% |
| 1984 | 213,978 | +34.6% |
| 1985 | 193,559 | -9.5% |
| 1986 | 220,257 | +13.8% |
| 1987 | 223,390 | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 214,993 | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 181,070 | -15.8% |
| 1990 | 162,129 | -10.5% |
| 1991 | 141,879 | -12.5% |
| 1992 | 173,550 | +22.3% |
| 1993 | 234,655 | +35.2% |
| 1994 | 199,388 | -15.0% |
| 1995 | 118,097 | -40.8% |
| 1996 | 143,684 | +21.7% |
| 1997 | 227,372 | +58.2% |
| 1998 | 163,654 | -28.0% |
| 1999 | 138,301 | -15.5% |
| 2000 | 122,560 | -11.4% |
| 2001 | 127,618 | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 133,984 | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 139,397 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 144,874 | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 149,913 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 155,563 | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 213,819 | +37.4% |
| 2008 | 186,298 | -12.9% |
| 2009 | 169,870 | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 169,874 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 23,151 | -86.4% |
| 2012 | 31,045 | +34.1% |
| 2013 | 34,735 | +11.9% |
| 2014 | 27,420 | -21.1% |
| 2015 | 29,409 | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 62,625 | +112.9% |
| 2017 | 84,179 | +34.4% |
| 2018 | 79,288 | -5.8% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 79,288 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5,286, 15.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 79,288 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,311, 60.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fish discards in Mauritania changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +551.2% | 16,742 | 109,026 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,408 | 1,677 | 3,829 | 10 |
| 1960s | 7,797 | 4,447 | 15,396 | 10 |
| 1970s | 15,478 | 11,108 | 21,747 | 10 |
| 1980s | 167,328 | 16,742 | 223,390 | 10 |
| 1990s | 170,271 | 118,097 | 234,655 | 10 |
| 2000s | 154,390 | 122,560 | 213,819 | 10 |
| 2010s | 60,192 | 23,151 | 169,874 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More agriculture & rural data for Mauritania
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1995 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5156 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3851 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 20.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 20.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fish discards in Mauritania?
- Fish discards in Mauritania was 79,288 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fish discards recorded in Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 234,655 in 1993.
- What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,677 in 1951.
- How does Mauritania rank for fish discards?
- Mauritania ranks 19th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
- Is fish discards rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mauritania data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. 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).
About this data
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.