There are 10 Most Captured Fish in The World of 2017. This Species comes from wild nature (sea, river, lake, and other water bodies). Most of these caught fish can nourish and fulfill human nutritional needs. According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation (UN) entitled “Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 2017”, there are several fish species that are mostly caught or searched by fishermen from wild nature like sea, river, lake, and the others. The greater the number of caught fish indicates that the demand for this species is higher, more useful, and favored by consumers.
Table of 10 Most Captured Fish in The World of 2017
| Rank | Name of Species | Scientific Name | Production of 2016 | Production of 2017 |
| (Tons) | (Tons) | |||
| 1 | Anchoveta (Peruvian anchovy) | Engraulis ringens | 3.192.476 | 3.922.746 |
| 2 | Alaska pollock | Theragra chalcogramma | 3.476.385 | 3.488.377 |
| 3 | Skipjack tuna | Katsuwonus pelamis | 2.817.124 | 2.827.762 |
| 4 | Atlantic herring | Clupea harengus | 1.639.950 | 1.815.171 |
| 5 | Blue whiting | Micromesistius poutassou | 1.190.282 | 1.559.343 |
| 6 | Pacific chub mackerel | Scomber japonicus | 1.564.945 | 1.510.933 |
| 7 | Yellowfin tuna | Thunnus albacares | 1.443.598 | 1.476.741 |
| 8 | European pilchard(Sardine) | Sardina pilchardus | 1.281.932 | 1.428.407 |
| 9 | Atlantic cod | Gadus morhua | 1.329.488 | 1.303.770 |
| 10 | Atlantic mackerel | Scomber scombrus | 1.138.188 | 1.217.838 |
| 11 | Largehead hairtail | Trichiurus lepturus | 1.230.640 | 1.217.280 |
Source: FAO,2017
Description
1. Anchoveta (Peruvian anchovy)
Peruvian anchovy or Engraulis ringens became one of 10 Most Captured Fish in The World from wild nature. This species included in the Engraulidae family based on their taxonomy. In 2017, the total fishing exploration of this species reached 3.9 million tonnes. Commonly this type of fish is usually found in the south-eastern part of the Pacific Ocean around the countries of Peru and Chile within a radius of 80 km from the coastline.
Functionally most Peruvian anchovy can have an ongoing process for animal feed and only a small part for human consumption. In 1971, Based on the history data, this species of fish became the most exploited marine species with a total of 13 million tonnes. This type of fish usually eats phytoplankton and zooplankton as a source of nutrition. These fish breed all year round along the Peruvian coast with the spawning period occurring in spring/winter or in May-September.
2. Alaska Pollock
Alaskan pollock fish is the second-largest catch of fish species targeted by fishermen with a total of 3.48 million tonnes of fish harvested in 2017. This species belongs to the Gadidae family which is the same family as cod (Gadus morhua). These fish consume small shrimp etc. copepods and euphausiid as a source of nutrition. In winter, young pollock fish will search for food sources in areas further away from their habitat due to the shortage of food sources.
3. Skipjack tuna
Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) can swim quickly in the pelagic zone. It is generally found in tropical and subtropical seas in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Taxonomically, this type of fish belongs to the Scombridae family so that it has related to mackerel and tuna. This species likes to live in groups in large numbers (up to 50 thousand fish). Food sources of this species are small fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and mollusks. In overall in 2017, the harvested fish was 2.8 million tons and became the third Most Captured Fish in The World.
4. Atlantic herring
Herring (Clupea harengus) belongs to the Clupeidae family. Its habitat located is in the Nordic Atlantic Ocean, from the coast of South Carolina to Greenland, and from the Baltic Sea to Novaya Zemlya. In terms of quantity, they are fish species that have abundant populations in the oceans. They mainly consume copepods, arrow worms Chaetognatha, pelagic amphipods hyperiidae, mysids shrimp, and krill shrimp. In 2017, the total of harvested species was 1.8 million tonnes.
Physiologically, these fish reach sexual maturity when they are 3 to 5 years old. They can lay their eggs in estuaries, coastal waters, or onshore. The fertilization process of eggs is external as in most other fish, where the female can release between 20,000 and 40,000 eggs and the male simultaneously releases sperm mass so that they mix freely in the ocean. Once fertilized, eggs 1 to 1.4 mm in diameter sink to the seabed and cling to gravel or weeds, and finally will mature in 1-3 weeks.
5. Blue Whiting
Blue Whitting (Micromesistius poutassou) belongs to the family Gadidae which is generally found in the northeast Atlantic Ocean which stretches away from Morocco to Iceland and Spitsbergen, North Norway. These fish consume small crustaceans, small fish, and squid. In general, this fish species is usually processed as fish meal for animal feed and its fish oil gives beneficial effects. In 2017, the total catch was 1.55 million tonnes.
6.Makarel (Pacific chub mackerel)
Pacific Mackerel (Scomber japonicus) belongs to the Scombridae family and is found in the Indo-Pacific region which includes tropical marine waters in the Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific Ocean, and inland seas in Indonesia and the Philippines. This species mainly eats copepods and rotifers. During adolescence, chub mackerel consumes zooplankton and as adults, they eat mysids and euphausiids.
According to nutrition specialists, chub mackerel is healthy food and contains a large amount of protein, omega 3, and unsaturated fatty acids. This fish is usually used as a raw material for dishes in Sicilian (Italian) cuisine, which is served in a variety of ways. In South Korea, there is a popular dish, Jorim, which usually uses this fish species as raw material.
7.Yellowfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) is a species that belongs to the Scombridae family and is one of the largest types of tuna. These fish prey on fish (D. Marcellus and anchovies), shrimp, and crab which are found throughout the tropical and sun seawaters of the world between latitudes 40 ° N and 40 ° S. In 2017, the harvested of this species were 1.47 tonnes. Commonly this species is marketed as fresh fish, frozen tuna, or canned. Functionally, this type of fish is favored in a variety of dishes, including grilling, and making sashimi culinary (Japanese).
8. The European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus)
Taxonomically Sardines or Sardina pilchardus belongs to the Clupeid family which are found in the Northeast Region of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Its territory stretches from Iceland, southern Norway, and Sweden to the south to Senegal in West Africa. These animals usually consume zooplankton and phytoplankton. From a functional point of view, this fish is sold in fresh, frozen, canned, salted, smoked, or dried. When the meat is low value, part of the catch can be used for fishing bait, fertilizer, and part of it is produced into fishmeal.
9. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)
Cod (Gadus morhua) is a type of fish Gadidae family. Like its name, this fish is widely available in the Atlantic region. In the western Atlantic Ocean, the population of cod is concentrated in the north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, around the coast of Greenland and the Labrador Sea while in the eastern Atlantic, species are found from the North Bay of Biscay to the Arctic Ocean, including the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Hebrides Sea, the area around Iceland and the Barents Sea. The food of Atlantic cod is a type of fish such as herring, capelin, and sand eels, as well as mollusks, crustaceans, and sea worms. Functionally, this fish meat is widely used as food. Cod liver is processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA).
10. Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)
Atlantic mackerel or Scomber scombrus which is usually known as Boston mackerel / Norwegian mackerel / Scottish mackerel is a type of fish that belongs to the Scombridae family. This mackerel species is found in temperate waters in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic mackerel have beneficial as a meat because it is strong in taste and high in oil and omega-3 fatty acids. Most of this fish is sold fresh, frozen, smoked, or canned. In 2017, the total catch of this fish reached 1.2 million tons.
Source:
FAO Yearbook. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 2017 Accessed via http://www.fao.org/fishery/publications/yearbooks/en
