Institutional quality and catch performance of fishing nations

The relationship between annual growth in the catches of fishing nations and the quality of the institutions of those nations is analysed. Catch volumes are used as a proxy for development, since economic performance indicators based on a common set of definitions do not exist. 49 major fishing nations were selected for this study, including 22 OECD countries and several developing countries. Three general good governance indices, for government-efficiency (World Bank), corruption (Transparency International) and competitiveness (World Economic Forum) and one fishery specific FAO Code of Conduct compliance index were used. The correlation between fisheries' performance and the indices proved to be spurious, but OECD members achieved a statistically significant negative growth in catches between 1987 and 2007. The countries are divided into five groups, including ‘Winners' and ‘Losers', with reference to catch growth rates over two decades. Most of the OECD countries fell into the category ‘Losers', whereas “Winners” includes many developing countries with lower quality institutions. Some countries had experienced an amazing growth in catches, while others had experienced a decline. The future prospects for both categories are discussed.