The table delineates a comparative analysis of the large-scale and small-scale industrial fishing vessels globally, emphasizing workforce metrics, annual fish catch, financial investments, and fuel oil consumption.
Overall, while the small-scale fishing sector employs a significantly larger number of workers, the large-scale industry excels in total fish catch and industrial processing contributions. Furthermore, there are also vast differences in terms of money spent on employees’ salaries and fuel annually consumption.
In terms of employment, small fishing boats operations engage an impressive 12 million individuals worldwide, a stark contrast to the mere 500 thousand personnel involved in large-scale industrial fishing. However, the amount of fish being caught is opposite, industrial ships generate a larger annual fish catch of 29 million tonnes each year, compared to 24 million tonnes of fish caught by small-scale boats. Additionally, large vessels account for a substantial 22 million tonnes earmarked for industrial processing, whereas local boats contribute virtually negligible input to this segment.
The financial implications per workers exhibit a marked disparity, with large-scale vessels requiring an investment ranging for $30,000 to $300,000 per employee, in contrast to the modest investment of $250 to $2,500 per worker in the local-boat sector. Similarly to the fuel consumption of each category, as large-scale fishing operations utilize approximately 14 to 19 million tonnes of fuel annually, compared to a mere 1.5 to 1.8 million tonnes consumed by small-scale boats. This underscores the substantial resources allocation within the large-scale industry, both in terms of financial and energy expenditures.