France Cuts Patagonian Toothfish Quota in Southern Ocean: The Dilemma of Balancing Conservation of "Deep-Sea Gold" and Fishermen’s Livelihoods

On September 19, 2025, France’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty officially announced a further reduction in the annual fishing quota for Patagonian toothfish (scientific name: Dissostichus eleginoides) in the Southern Ocean. As one of the world’s major Patagonian toothfish producers, France’s decision not only directly impacts its own fisheries layout but also puts the global contradiction between "conservation and utilization" of high-value marine resources in the spotlight—between the ecological demand for species survival and the economic pressure on fishermen’s livelihoods, striking a balance has become a common challenge for France and global fisheries alike.

1. Quota Cut: Resource Conservation Backed by Scientific Warnings

• Core Production Areas: France’s Patagonian toothfish fishing is concentrated in waters around the Kerguelen Islands and Crozet Islands (French overseas territories) in the Southern Ocean. The cold, saline marine environment here is ideal for Patagonian toothfish growth. Renowned for its white, firm flesh and high-quality protein, the toothfish from these areas is dubbed "Deep-Sea Gold" in the industry and dominates the global high-end catering supply chain—from signature pan-seared cod in Michelin-starred restaurants to cold-chain sections in premium supermarkets, all take this origin’s toothfish as the quality benchmark.

• Basis for the Cut: The direct basis for this quota reduction is a joint assessment report by multiple research institutions, including the French Polar Institute and cooperative bodies of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The report shows that over the past five years, Patagonian toothfish populations have faced dual pressures: on one hand, global climate change has caused a slight rise in Southern Ocean water temperatures, reducing the number of plankton (a core food source for juvenile toothfish) and affecting juvenile survival rates; on the other hand, sustained growth in global demand for Patagonian toothfish has led to high-intensity fishing, lowering the proportion of adult individuals and weakening the population’s reproductive capacity. Without timely control of fishing scale, the toothfish resources in this sea area may face an "irrecoverable" predicament in the next 5-10 years.

• Policy Objective: The official statement from France clarifies that the core goal of the quota adjustment is to "exchange short-term fishing scale contraction for long-term resource sustainability." It also aims to fulfill France’s international commitment to "protecting the Antarctic marine ecosystem" under the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and strengthen France’s international image in the field of "responsible fisheries."

2. Implementation Challenges: Illegal Fishing Undermines Conservation Efforts

To ensure the quota policy is implemented, France has established a strict fisheries control system in the Southern Ocean: all fishing vessels must be equipped with real-time GPS positioning and catch weight monitoring devices, and report fishing data daily; the French Coast Guard also regularly conducts joint sea patrols with Australia, New Zealand and other countries to crack down on unauthorized fishing activities. However, illegal fishing remains an intractable "persistent problem."

The high economic value of Patagonian toothfish (with international wholesale prices often reaching 30-50 euros per kilogram) tempts some illegal fishing vessels to take risks—they mostly adopt the model of "night operations + unregistered fishing gear" to bypass monitoring systems. Not only do they overfish, but they also frequently use fine-meshed nets that harm juvenile fish, further exacerbating resource depletion. According to estimates by the French fisheries department, the total annual illegal catch of Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean accounts for about 15%-20% of the legal catch. This figure means that even if legal quotas are reduced, illegal fishing still offsets conservation results, becoming the biggest obstacle to the implementation of the quota policy.

3. Fishermen’s Dilemma: The Tug-of-War Between Ecological Conservation and Livelihoods

After the policy was announced, concerns among French fisheries practitioners quickly grew. Fishermen’s associations in traditional fishing regions such as Brittany and Normandy were the first to speak out: while acknowledging the necessity of resource conservation, Patagonian toothfish fishing is the "livelihood pillar" for thousands of local families—taking the fishing fleet in the Kerguelen Islands as an example, a medium-sized fishing vessel catches about 200 tons of Patagonian toothfish annually, accounting for over 60% of its total revenue. After the quota cut, the catch is expected to drop by 15%-20%; coupled with rising fuel and equipment maintenance costs, many small and medium-sized fisheries enterprises may face shrinking profits or even losses.

"We are not against protecting the ocean, but we hope the government can see our difficulties," said Jean Lemer, a fisherman who has worked in the Southern Ocean for 12 years. "If the quota is reduced without supporting retraining or subsidies for career transition, many of my peers may have to switch jobs, and the fishing skills accumulated over generations will gradually disappear." Currently, French fishermen’s associations have submitted demands to the government, calling for the introduction of a "Fisheries Transition Support Program," including providing fishermen with training in ecological aquaculture technology and granting fuel subsidies to compliant fishing vessels, to mitigate the impact of the quota cut.

4. Global Implications: A Common Issue for High-Value Fishery Resources

France’s quota adjustment this time is essentially a microcosm of global high-value fishery resource management. Patagonian toothfish is not an exception—all marine species with both "high economic value" and "long growth cycles," from Atlantic cod to Pacific bluefin tuna, face a cycle of "demand-driven fishing → resource decline → tighter conservation policies → industry pressure." The superimposed impact of climate change further increases the difficulty of breaking this cycle—it not only alters the habitats of species but also shortens the resource recovery cycle, forcing conservation policies to be further "strengthened."

For the world, breaking this dilemma requires multiple levels of collaboration: first, countries need to establish closer international cooperation mechanisms, unify quota standards, and jointly crack down on illegal fishing to avoid the loophole of "one country conserving while others fishing"; second, the fisheries industry needs to accelerate its transformation from "single fishing" to an integrated industrial chain model of "fishing + aquaculture + deep processing" to reduce reliance on wild resources; finally, governments need to introduce balanced policies to ensure that the costs of ecological conservation are borne by society as a whole, rather than solely by fishermen.

As an expert from the international marine conservation organization Sea Shepherd put it: "The true value of ‘Deep-Sea Gold’ does not lie in how much can be caught now, but in whether it can continue to provide both ecological and economic benefits to humanity in the future. France’s attempt may provide a reference for the ‘sustainable development’ of global high-value fishery resources."