Who Benefits from Coastal Fisheries? Assessing the Distributional Equity

Abstract

Fisheries play a crucial role in global food security, economic development, and the livelihoods of millions of people, yet their benefits are unevenly distributed. To assess distributional equity in coastal fisheries, this study examined the proportion of total catch in coastal nations attributed to domestic versus foreign fleets. Using data from the Sea Around Us database for 142 countries, the study calculated a "fair catch proportion value" ranging from 0 to 1, where 0 represents the least equitable and 1 the most equitable distribution. The analysis revealed that 54% of the countries studied had equitable fair catch proportion values, ranging from 0.9 to 1.0. In contrast, three regions—Western Africa, the Pacific Island Countries, and Northern Europe—exhibited relatively inequitable values (below 0.6). These findings suggest that progress is being made toward equitable fisheries management and that fair catch proportion values serve as a useful indicator for evaluating distributional equity.