1 See Section 10, PostscriptCatch statistics of S. pilchardus for CECAF divisions 34.1.1, 34.1.2, 34.1.3 and 34.3.1 together and by division are presented in Annex III. Catches by fishing Zones A, B and C are presented in Table 6 of Annex III. In the absence of precise data for some fleets, best estimates were made based on available information as indicated in the tables.
In CECAF division 34.1.1, catches have fluctuated between 190 000 and 410 000 tons. The main countries fishing in the area are Morocco and Spain. The highest catch made by the Moroccan fleet is about 330 000 tons in 1973. Since 1973, catches by this fleet have been very substantially below that figure.
The Spanish fleet which fished in this division consisted of boats from the Canary Islands as well as vessels from the southern ports of the mainland. The catches made by the Spanish fleet based in the Canary Islands have been steadily increasing. The vessels based in mainland Spain fished in the northern part of division 34.1.1, and their catches have been estimated.
In CECAF division 34.1.2, only modest catches have been taken, mainly by Spain. The Spanish catches in this division by the fleet based in the Canary Islands have been estimated.
Fishing in the Sahara coastal division (34.1.3) began in the early seventies. The main fishing countries are Poland and USSR. USSR catches in this division have been estimated. On the whole, the catches of sardine in this division have substantially increased due to Polish, and probably USSR, fishing activities.
In Annex III, Table 6, it can be observed that, whereas the catches have declined considerably since 1973 in Zone A, those in Zones B and C have continuously increased.
