Recently, Srinivasan et al. [19] estimated trends in potential catch losses in terms of tonnage and landed value for six continental regions and the high seas from 1950 to 2004. Using the same methodology, these trends are examined here at the next higher level of detail: that of countries’ exclusive economic zones (EEZs). To estimate trends in overfishing at the EEZ level, methodology described in previous work [19] was applied. According to the empirical approach from that analysis, 16–31% (central estimate 24%) of species-based stocks in countries’ Selleck Doramapimod EEZs were deemed overfished between 1950 and 2004. This wide range encompasses the Food and Agriculture

Organization’s (FAO) estimate that 28% of stock groups were overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion by 2007 [9], and is more conservative than a recent assessment by Branch et al. [16] that 28–33% of all stocks are now overexploited. Compared to the other catch data-based (and sometimes criticized [24]) method of Worm et al. [17], the approach by Srinivasan et al. [19] is far less likely to overestimate losses by conflating natural fluctuations and variable fishing effort with overfishing. Instead of the yearly collapse criterion

used by Worm et al. [17], Srinivasan et al. [19] deemed a stock overfished if its time-smoothed landings remained KU-57788 nmr depressed for 10 years continuously or 15 years in total following the year of maximum recorded catch (also averaged over time). To assess the potential catch losses due to overfishing in both lost tonnage and lost revenue, Srinivasan et al. [19] relied upon catch statistics from the Sea Around Us Project (SAUP) covering 1066 species of fish and invertebrates in 301 EEZs, as well as an empirical relationship they derived from Sclareol catch statistics and species

stock assessments from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This enabled the estimation of maximum sustainable yield (MSY) levels for all species-based stocks in EEZs already identified as overfished. Comparison with actual catch levels then produced estimates of lost catch by mass. To estimate the foregone revenue of these potential landings, a database of ex-vessel fish prices compiled by Sumaila et al. [5] was applied. This paper maps country-level results not analyzed previously [19]. In addition, estimates of the relative revenue losses for all countries with overfished stocks are presented for the year 2000. All results are based on EEZ statistics at the SAUP database (http://www.seaaroundus.org/eez/). In addition, throughout the article, statistics on landings and revenues as well as information on fishing by country have been drawn from this database as well [6]. The world map in Fig. 1 illustrates the progression of estimated overfishing losses by mass over the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s.