SDG #14 is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”
Within SDG #14 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 14.7:
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
Target 14.7 has one indicator:
Indicator 14.7.1: Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries
Sustainable fishery stocks have declined from 90% in the mid-70s to only 67% at the adoption of the SDGs. The impact of this on the livelihoods of fishing communities in the most vulnerable countries can be acute. A reflection of how dependent a country can be on its fisheries is the percentage of its GDP occupied by fisheries. But these fisheries need to be within sustainable yields to benefit fishing communities.
The countries with the highest reliance on sustainable fisheries as of 2019 are:
Guinea-Bissau
Sierra Leone
Madagascar
several small island developing countries.
Several African countries with coastlines don’t have data for this indicator.
In 2019, 0.88% of the GDP of least developed countries came from sustainable fisheries, a decrease from 1.25% in 2015. For the SIDS, it was 0.46%, unchanged since 2015.
