Reconstruction of Marine fisheries catches for Tunisia (1950-2010)

International audienceThe reconstructed total domestic marine catches for Tunisia’s fisheries, including large-scale and small-scale commercial catches and recreational catch, as well as major discards, have been estimated for the 1950-2010 period, and increased from approximately 14,500 t·year-1 in the 1950s to over 98,800 t·year-1 in the 2000s. The estimated total domestic catches within Tunisia’s EEZ are 1.13 times the national data. Foreign flag industrial catches were estimated to increase from almost7,800 t in 1950 to a peak of just under 19,200 t in 1975, and then decline to 560 t in 2010. Domestic landings were obtained from official reports of the department of fisheries at the Tunisian agricultural ministry and from the Tunisian National Institute of Statistics. Foreign flag catches anddomestic discards were estimated based on independent studies and recreational catches were reconstructed based on information provided by the Tunisian Federation of Sport Fishing and other surveys