1.7M Rows of Fish Catches and the Birth of Fisheries Management

Now that we can analyze up to 10 million rows of data, it's time to share a story with you that’s dear to my heart--the birth of fisheries management.

If you enjoy eating seafood, effective fisheries management ensures a steady supply of affordable options throughout the year.

If you’re an international politics wonk, you might be surprised to hear that fish are directly responsible for dramatic changes in international maritime law.

If you like totally random, seemingly unbelievable knowledge, you might enjoy telling your friends that Iceland once fought a “war” with the United Kingdom--and won! (If you’re Icelandic, you already know this).

The dataset used to illustrate this story is from ICES, the oldest intergovernmental science organization. They have many other datasets available--if you’re feeling fish-tastic after reading this viz, you can download some data and make a fish viz of your own to enter in our contest!

Read on to learn about how fisheries management started!