The FAO global capture production database: A six-decade effort to catch the trend

With data series extending for 60 years, including catch data for almost 1850 species items, and reflecting geo-political, historical and natural events, the FAO capture database provides a service to the community interested in fishery information. Over 600 articles from refereed journals cited the database in the last 15 years. Species included grew significantly in the last decade and an analysis of annual reporting showed more timely data submissions, although the number of non-reporting countries remained stable throughout the years. An evaluation of data quality found over half developing countries reporting inadequately but also one-fourth of reports by developed countries were not satisfactory. This article also provides meta information on historical developments, data sources and coverage, and advice on what should be kept in mind when using the database for trend studies.