What is fish discards in Portugal?

Fish discards in Portugal was 82,934 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fish discards recorded in Portugal?

The highest recorded value was 904,138 in 1956.

What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Portugal?

The lowest recorded value was 66,038 in 2014.

How does Portugal rank for fish discards?

Portugal ranks 18th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.

Is fish discards rising or falling in Portugal?

Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Portugal 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.

Fish discards in Portugal

Name: Fish discards in Portugal
Creator: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Portugal: Fish discards was 82,934 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

82,934

Change on year

up 13.2%

World rank

18th

of 161 countries

All-time high

904,138

in 1956

All-time low

66,038

in 2014

Years of data

1950–2018

Fish discards in Portugal, 1950–2018

Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Portugal recorded 82,934 for fish discards in 2018.

The figure is up 13.2% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fish discards in Portugal peaked at 904,138 in 1956 and was at its lowest, 66,038, in 2014.

Portugal ranks 18th of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	728,820	500,125	904,138	10
1960s	782,989	582,128	903,210	10
1970s	330,028	152,073	551,368	10
1980s	179,796	161,639	218,008	10
1990s	104,248	79,257	145,254	10
2000s	76,110	66,710	81,389	10
2010s	75,032	66,038	85,826	9

Countries ranked near Portugal

15 France 96,060 compare
16 Taiwan 93,770 compare
17 Guinea 85,618 compare
19 Mauritania 79,288 compare
20 Argentina 77,582 compare
21 Senegal 72,692 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Portugal

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.79 billion current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 2.0% (2025)
Rural population 4.16 million (2025)
Rural population growth 0.6% (2025)
Rural population 38.5% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
Land under cereal production 191,630 hectares (2024)

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is fish discards in Portugal?: Fish discards in Portugal was 82,934 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fish discards recorded in Portugal?: The highest recorded value was 904,138 in 1956.
What is the lowest fish discards recorded in Portugal?: The lowest recorded value was 66,038 in 2014.
How does Portugal rank for fish discards?: Portugal ranks 18th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
Is fish discards rising or falling in Portugal?: Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Portugal 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

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: 07 August 2026

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.