U Myint Aung himself had ceased working as a coastal fisherman when catches declined to the point where he could no longer make a living.
Soon after the stock collapsed: Norwegian annual catches declined steadily to 1,200 1,900 tons from 1953 to 1960, 160 300 tons in the early 1970s, and 10 40 tons in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
After 1991, kitefin shark catches declined precipitously to under 15 tons annually which, along with a drop in the global price of liver oil, led to the fishery becoming unprofitable by the end of the decade.
From 1967 until 1982, catches declined despite evidence of increasing fishing effort [50], after which they leveled off and reached a new average catch of approximately 20 tonnes per year.
Catches declined to about half of that level by 1700, and only increased to about 200,000 tonnes in the late eighteenth century when the Swedish and Scottish fisheries developed apace.
The Fischnetz project aimed to identify the causes of fish catch decline and propose remedial measures.
Shrinking industrial landings, however, were responsible for most of the recent global catch decline, the researchers concluded.
Consequently, FAO could only be 'hopeful' that the catch decline is due to improved management rather than being symptomatic of worldwide overfishing (FAO, 2010).
In Chiang Khong, traditionally a prime fishing ground, the catch declined from 69 in 1990 to two in 2000, and none since.
