Fig. 2: Distribution of catch by operational scale.
The marine catch from small-scale fisheries shows great diversity along the small- to large-scale continuum of operational scale. Each dot represents the cumulative share of catch corresponding to a given total characterization score, grouping all relevant observations (whether at the level of regions, countries or individual fishery units within countries) that fall at that score. a–c, Distribution of marine small-scale fisheries catch at global (a; N = 43 countries), regional (b; Asia N = 11 countries, Americas N = 9 countries, Africa N = 19 countries) and national (c; based on fishery units grouped by country) levels across the total characterization score. Black circles indicate where 50% of the cumulative catch is reached along the total characterization score. By aligning panels vertically, readers can identify which countries contribute to the catch at each score: for instance, a score of 0 is present in the Philippines and Fiji. Total % of characterized catch varied by country (23–100%; Supplementary Table 3). Gabon, Congo, Congo DR and Liberia are excluded from c due to insufficient data. Greenland is grouped with the Americas following the FAO regional classification system. SSF, small-scale fisheries.
