Wild fish catch from bottom trawling in South Africa
South Africa: Wild fish catch from bottom trawling was 140,611 tonnes in 2018. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.191 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.36 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6318 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.18 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.2153 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 209.92 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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.