Top Marine Fishes Not Elsewhere Included Fishing Countries

The category "Marine fishes not elsewhere included" (NEI) refers to a broad group of marine fish species that are not individually identified in catch statistics, often due to the mixed-species nature of some fisheries or insufficient species-level reporting. This group includes a variety of finfish such as croakers, drums, grunts, and other demersal or pelagic species that are not prominent enough individually to warrant separate statistical tracking. The leading countries harvesting these NEI marine fishes are typically those with large, diverse marine fisheries and extensive coastlines, such as China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Thailand. These nations rely on both industrial and artisanal fleets to harvest mixed catches, which are then processed for domestic consumption and export, often as fresh, frozen, or processed products. The NEI category reflects the complexity and scale of multi-species fisheries in these regions, highlighting both the economic importance and the challenges of sustainable management and accurate reporting in the global fishing industry.

Data from FAO. 2025. Global Capture Production. In: Fisheries and Aquaculture.