Energy Use in Fisheries: Findings in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Fuel inputs to fishing vessels account for a large and growing portion of fishing costs worldwide, and represent the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions for many seafood products.  Efforts to measure and improve fuel consumption play a central role in ensuring the economic viability and environmental sustainability of future production.  We have gathered and synthesized data from the past four decades relating to commercial fisheries around the world to identify how fuel consumption varies over time and between diverse fishing operations. Here we present results of our global analysis of patterns and trends in fuel consumption and fishery carbon footprints.  We demonstrate how, in a reversal of previous trends, fuel consumption and related emissions rates have been decreasing in many fisheries over the past decade. We discuss the implications of this and explore some of the drivers, including gear design, target stock biomass, skipper behavior, and fisheries management.  We use case study fisheries in the North Atlantic, Europe and Australia to explain trends in fuel use and emissions, and point to opportunities to further improve the energy performance of the global fishing industry.