Wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa
South Africa: Wild fish catch from bottom trawling was 140,611 tonnes in 2018. ▲ Rising
Latest (2018)
140,611 tonnes
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
28th
of 111 countries
All-time high
293,326 tonnes
in 1968
All-time low
57,022 tonnes
in 1950
Years of data
69
1950–2018
Wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa, 1950–2018
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2018, wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa stood at 140,611 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa peaked at 293,326 tonnes in 1968 and was at its lowest, 57,022 tonnes, in 1950.
That places South Africa 28th out of 111 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 57,022 tonnes | — |
| 1951 | 73,078 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 1952 | 78,360 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1953 | 81,423 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1954 | 88,967 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1955 | 92,468 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1956 | 92,174 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1957 | 98,551 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1958 | 103,745 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1959 | 92,396 tonnes | -10.9% |
| 1960 | 103,462 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 1961 | 140,527 tonnes | +35.8% |
| 1962 | 154,226 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1963 | 168,070 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1964 | 194,973 tonnes | +16.0% |
| 1965 | 208,055 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1966 | 245,873 tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1967 | 265,147 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 1968 | 293,326 tonnes | +10.6% |
| 1969 | 284,481 tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 250,314 tonnes | -12.0% |
| 1971 | 263,170 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1972 | 266,700 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 286,227 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1974 | 283,407 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 259,338 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 1976 | 253,544 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 225,062 tonnes | -11.2% |
| 1978 | 259,928 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1979 | 267,733 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 252,421 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 1981 | 251,735 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 259,142 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 240,985 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1984 | 246,696 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 272,455 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1986 | 267,733 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 271,023 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 255,878 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 232,357 tonnes | -9.2% |
| 1990 | 198,993 tonnes | -14.4% |
| 1991 | 197,460 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 202,056 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 168,289 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1994 | 193,221 tonnes | +14.8% |
| 1995 | 194,152 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 204,106 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 189,078 tonnes | -7.4% |
| 1998 | 199,006 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 187,706 tonnes | -5.7% |
| 2000 | 181,215 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 194,322 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2002 | 194,456 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 184,083 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 195,955 tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 179,744 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2006 | 161,202 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 168,506 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 155,266 tonnes | -7.9% |
| 2009 | 124,305 tonnes | -19.9% |
| 2010 | 130,419 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2011 | 143,190 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 2012 | 147,394 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 139,737 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 158,593 tonnes | +13.5% |
| 2015 | 153,456 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 158,768 tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 145,337 tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 140,611 tonnes | -3.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 140,611 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 18,359 tonnes, 7.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 140,611 tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,282 tonnes, 9.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 85,818 tonnes | 57,022 tonnes | 103,745 tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 205,814 tonnes | 103,462 tonnes | 293,326 tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 261,542 tonnes | 225,062 tonnes | 286,227 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 255,042 tonnes | 232,357 tonnes | 272,455 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 193,407 tonnes | 168,289 tonnes | 204,106 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 173,905 tonnes | 124,305 tonnes | 195,955 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 146,389 tonnes | 130,419 tonnes | 158,768 tonnes | 9 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa?
- Wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa was 140,611 tonnes in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wild fish catch from bottom trawling recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 293,326 tonnes in 1968.
- What is the lowest wild fish catch from bottom trawling recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57,022 tonnes in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for wild fish catch from bottom trawling?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 111 countries with data for 2018.
- Is wild fish catch from bottom trawling rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Wild fish catch from bottom trawling. 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
Bottom trawling is a fishing method in which a large, heavy net is dragged along the seafloor to catch fish and other marine life.