In order to safeguard the important role that marine capture fisheries play with regard to employment, income and food security, up-to-date information on the sector is needed to monitor the effect of management measures, regulations and government policies on its economic and financial health. This paper presents the findings of studies on the economic and financial performance of marine capture fisheries carried out in 13 African, Asian, Caribbean, European and South American countries during 2002 and 2003, replacing previously published results from 1999-2000 and 1995-1997. It includes the 94 most important fishing fleets operating in these countries that generally experienced positive gross cash flows and fully recovered their operating costs. The overall sustained positive earnings situation in 2002-2003, as compared with 1999 and 2000, should be seen against a background of increased fuel prices - an important cost component of capture fisheries that averaged about nine percent for both years - and of a decline in fish prices of up to five percent. The paper also contains the findings of two recent empirical studies on fishing efficiency that were presented at the 2004 Session of the FAO/ICES Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour.
