In “The Great Ocean Migration: How warming seas are forcing fish to seek new waters” (Special Report, last week, page 13), we said the world’s annual catch is now decreasing by more than 1 million tonnes every year. This was based on a study produced last year at the University of British Columbia, which was quoted in the article claiming that the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation had seriously miscalculated global annual catches. We should clarify that the FAO bases its figures on annual landings of fish, not catches. It says global landings have stabilised since 1996; indeed, excluding the fluctuating Peruvian anchovy, from 2008 to 2014, the last year of available data, landings have increased year on year, not decreased. And, contrary to the study, the FAO does not confine itself to government figures when compiling its data. Calculations from regional fisheries and territorial authorities are also included and validations carried out to improve official figures.
Last week we mistakenly republished the Killer Sudoku puzzle from the week before. (New Review, page 39). Apologies. The correct puzzle can be found at theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/killer-sudoku
Write to Stephen Pritchard, Readers’ Editor, the Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, email observer.readers@observer.co.uk tel 020 3353 4656
