A just-published study provides a first-time analysis of the
value of forage fish, which are small, schooling species such as sardines,
herring, and anchovies. Three kinds of contributions of forage fish were
estimated: as direct catch, as food for other commercially important fish, and
as an important link in the food web in marine ecosystems. The analysis showed
these small fish contribute a total of $16.9 billion, as both direct catch and
food for larger fish, to global fisheries annually, representing 20 percent of
the global catch values of all marine fisheries combined.