the Atlantic Ocean fisheries are the second most important in the world accounting for 26.8%, or 22,636,307 mt, of the global catch in 2018; of the seven regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Atlantic basin, the most important include the following:

Northeast Atlantic region (Region 27) is the fourth most important in the world producing 11% of the global catch or 9,316,499 mt in 2018; the region encompasses the waters north of 36º North latitude and east of 40º West longitude with the major producers including Norway (2,278,806 mt), Iceland (1,259,169 mt), Russia (1,051,377 mt), Denmark (787,051 mt), and UK (689,851 mt); the region includes the historically important fishing grounds of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic waters between Greenland, Iceland, and the British Isles; the principal catches include Atlantic cod, haddock, saithe (pollock), Blue Whiting, herring, and mackerel; not all fish caught are for human consumption, half of fish catches in the North Sea are processed as fish oil or fish meal, which are used in animal fodder

Eastern Central Atlantic region (Region 34) is the second most important Atlantic fishery, and sixth largest in the world producing more than 6.5% of the global catch or 5,497,048 mt in 2018; the region encompasses the waters between 36º North and 6º South latitude and east of 40º West longitude off the west coast of Africa with the major producers including Morocco (1,330,204 mt), Mauritania (952,707 mt), Nigeria (485,967 mt), Senegal (452,747 mt), Ghana (286,767 mt), Cameroon (251,309 mt), and Sierra Leone (200,000 mt); the principal catches include pilchard, sardinellas, shad, and mackerel

Northwest Atlantic region (Region 21) is the third most important Atlantic fishery and eighth in the world producing 2% of the global catch and 1,682,461 mt in 2018; it encompasses the waters north of 35º North latitude and west of 42º West longitude including the important fishing grounds over the continental shelf of North America such as the Grand Banks, the Georges Bank, and the Flemish Cap, as well as Baffin Bay with the major producers including the US (850,088 mt), Canada (593,375 mt), and Greenland (167,548 mt); the principal catches include sea scallops, prawns, lobster, herring, and menhaden

Mediterranean and Black Sea region (Region 37) is a minor fishing region representing 1.5% or 1,307,260 mt of the world's total capture in 2018; the region encompasses all waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar with the major producers including Turkey (283,956 mt), Italy (192,500 mt), Tunisia (105,543 mt), Russia (73,224 mt), and Spain (91,333 mt); the principal catches include European anchovy, European pilchard, Gobies, and clams

the Indian Ocean fisheries are the third most important in the world accounting for 14.6%, or 12,283,403 mt of the global catch in 2018; tuna, small pelagic fish, and shrimp are important species in these regions; the Food and Agriculture Organization delineated two fishing regions in the Indian Ocean:

Eastern Indian Ocean region (Region 57) is the most important region and the fifth largest producing region in the world with 8%, or 6,769,644 mt, of the global catch in 2018; the region encompasses the waters north of 55º South latitude and east of 80º East longitude including the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea with the major producers including Indonesia (1,854,700 mt), India (1,384,415 mt), Burma (1,144,000 mt), Bangladesh (654,687 mt), and Sri Lanka (395,175 mt); the principal catches include shad, Skipjack tuna, mackerel, shrimp, and sardinellas

the Pacific Ocean fisheries are the most important in the world accounting for 58.2%, or 49,162,169 mt, of the global marine capture in 2018; of the six regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Pacific Ocean, the following are the most important:

Northwest Pacific region (Region 61) is the world's most important fishery producing 23.7% of the global catch or 20,058,661 mt in 2018; it encompasses the waters north of 20º north latitude and west of 175º west longitude with the major producers including China (12,055,144 mt), Japan (2,851,305 mt), South Korea (942,667 mt), and Taiwan (416,150 mt); the principal catches include Alaska Pollock, Japanese anchovy, chub mackerel, and scads

Western Central Pacific region (Region 71) is the world's second most important fishing region producing 16%, or 13,540,458 mt, of the global catch in 2018; tuna is the most important species in this region; the region includes the waters between 20º North and 25º South latitude and west of 175º West longitude with the major producers including Indonesia (4,851,803 mt), Vietnam (3,190,749 mt), Philippines (1,886,599 mt), Thailand (1,104,352 mt), and Malaysia (696,935 mt); the principal catches include Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna, sardinellas, and cephalopods

Southeast Pacific region (Region 87) is the third major Pacific fishery and third largest in the world producing 12.2%, or 10,269,885 mt, of the global catch in 2018; this region includes the nutrient rich upwelling waters off the west coast of South America between 5º North and 60º South latitude and east of 120º West longitude with the major producers including Peru (7,150,340 mt), Chile (2,107,933 mt), and Ecuador (481,934 mt); the principal catches include Peruvian anchovy (68.5% of the catch), Jumbo flying squid, and Chilean jack mackerel