Toothfish fisheries

Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) and Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) are targeted by licensed fisheries in the Southern Ocean, using mainly bottom-set longlines in depths of 1 200–1 800 m. These species may also be caught by trawl and pot. Both species of toothfish are sought after in restaurants and high-end markets worldwide. The highly prized fish, sometimes referred to as ‘white gold’, have also caught the attention of Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessels.

There are 13 licensed fisheries currently targeting toothfish in Areas 48, 58 and 88, including seven exploratory fisheries. These fisheries are reviewed annually by CCAMLR's Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment (WG-FSA) and the Scientific Committee. See annual Fishery Reports. The Commission’s agreed limits for the current fishing season are defined in the Conservation measures.

Area	Type of fishery	Target species	Catch limit (tonnes) 2019/20	Conservation Measure
Subarea 48.3	Established	Dissostichus eleginoides	2 327	Conservation Measure 41-02
Subarea 48.4	Established	Dissostichus spp.	72	Conservation Measure 41-03
Subarea 48.6	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	670	Conservation Measure 41-04
Division 58.4.1	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	583	Conservation Measure 41-11
Division 58.4.2	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	60	Conservation Measure 41-05
Division 58.4.3a	Exploratory	Dissostichus eleginoides	24	Conservation Measure 41-06
Division 58.4.3b	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	0	Conservation Measure 41-07
Division 58.5.1*	Established	Dissostichus eleginoides		n/a
Division 58.5.2	Established	Dissostichus eleginoides	3 030	Conservation Measure 41-08
Subarea 58.6*	Established	Dissostichus eleginoides		n/a
Subarea 58.7**	Established	Dissostichus eleginoides	502	n/a
Subarea 88.1	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	3 140	Conservation Measure 41-09
Subarea 88.2	Exploratory	Dissostichus mawsoni	894	Conservation Measure 41-10

* in waters under French jurisdiction;
** in waters under South African jurisdiction

Catch history

CCAMLR Season	Area 48	Area 58	Area 88
1977	502	21	0
1978	2146	633	0
1979	363	32	0
1980	106	142	0
1981	258	123	0
1982	354	138	0
1983	218	164	0
1984	268	4738	0
1985	530	2455	0
1986	733	2472	0
1987	1954	1819	0
1988	876	917	0
1989	7060	1348	0
1990	6785	1250	0
1991	1756	3037	0
1992	3839	7758	0
1993	3030	3597	0
1994	658	5437	0
1995	3371	5711	0
1996	3602	5655	0
1997	3812	8645	0
1998	3201	10169	1
1999	3627	9730	1
2000	4940	11972	0
2001	4047	9097	34
2002	5742	8233	12
2003	7528	8925	26
2004	4504	8777	13
2005	3110	8696	7
2006	3653	8741	1
2007	3671	8344	12
2008	3974	8205	9
2009	3473	8676	17
2010	2626	8486	0
2011	1834	8668	3
2012	1867	8612	5
2013	2179	9086	0
2014	2233	9530	4
2015	2242	9816	1
2016	2251	9654	5
2017	2232	9702	1
2018	1976	9443	0
2019	2149	9774	2
2020	1907	9258	0
2021	1834	9232	10
2022	1596	8730	14

Show Data/Chart Download CSV

CCAMLR Season	Area 48	Area 58	Area 88
1981	0	0	0
1982	0	0	0
1985	0	0	0
1986	0	0	0
1987	0	0	0
1988	0	0	0
1989	0	0	0
1990	0	1	0
1991	0	0	0
1998	1	0	41
1999	0	0	296
2000	0	0	751
2001	0	0	626
2002	0	0	1354
2003	0	117	1911
2004	0	26	2558
2005	2	910	3511
2006	63	902	3482
2007	34	841	3426
2008	11	727	2667
2009	324	377	2916
2010	398	299	3182
2011	374	358	3431
2012	399	215	3601
2013	375	52	3638
2014	398	101	3347
2015	247	133	3457
2016	332	403	3401
2017	538	244	3563
2018	618	308	3474
2019	485	52	3862
2020	392	58	3710
2021	408	61	3665
2022	513	105	4073

This page was last modified on 02 Jul 2021

CCAMLR

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

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Toothfish fisheries

Catch history

Dissostichus eleginoides - Catch (tonnes)

Dissostichus mawsoni - Catch (tonnes)

Email:	ccamlr [at] ccamlr [dot] org
Telephone:	+61 3 6210 1111
Fax:	+61 3 6224 8744
Address:	181 Macquarie Street, Hobart, 7000, Tasmania, Australia
Postal address:	PO Box 213, North Hobart 7002, Tasmania, Australia