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The harvest from both aquaculture and capture
fisheries relies largely on finfish. By far the
most numerous fish species, and those most
important to aquaculture and fisheries, are
teleosts, or bony fish, which in the sea extend
from small "grazing" species such as anchovy to
large active predatory fish such as tuna.
A similarly wide range is also found in fresh
water, with the most important species from a
production point of view belonging to the carp
family. These account for over half the total of
inland waters fisheries production.
Elasmobranchs or cartilaginous fish, such as
sharks and rays, contribute much less to overall
fisheries production. As well, although some
primitive "jawless" fish such as lampreys and
hagfish are also exploited, their significance is
merely anecdotal. Likewise, other vertebrates do
not feature prominently in the global aquatic
harvest, particularly since the exploitation of
whales and many other marine mammals has been
curtailed.
Among the invertebrates, the Mollusca, which
includes squid and octopus as well as shellfish
(mussels, oysters, clams) and the Arthropoda, which
includes crustacea such as crab, lobster and
shrimp, add substantially to fisheries. A number of
aquatic plants, mainly algae such as Laminaria, are
of great interest, both as food and as a source of
additives widely used in the food and
pharmaceutical industries.
Detailed information on bio-ecological
characteristics, fishing techniques, processing and
trade of the main fishery species is collected by
FAO and compiled by the Species Information and
Data Programme (SIDP) of the FAO Fisheries
Department in various forms and media. A list of
the most important species for fisheries (around
600) has been established, based on annual landings
(over 10 000 tonnes), regional interest from
an economic or social point of view or because
these species are endangered or threatened by
fisheries.
A series of fact sheets has been produced
for these selected species, in collaboration with
the FAO Fisheries Global Information System
(FIGIS) using SIDP database material. The fact
sheets provide brief, updated and comprehensive
written and graphic species information including
nomenclature, description, biology and ecology,
geographical distribution and interest for
fisheries.
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