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The Mediterranean Coast

 

The species listed bellow are divided into 3 categories of varying levels of sustainability:

GREEN = "Preferred Choice"

Stocks are healthy. Individuals are fished or farmed in an environmentally friendly way. The fishery is well managed.
ORANGE = "Recommended Alternative"
Stocks are healthy but improvement could be seen in the fishing and farming techniques being used to assure their sustained productivity. Other factors (pollution, habitat destruction,...) may pose added threats to the well-being of wild populations.
RED = "To be Avoided"
Stocks are unhealthy and managed in an unsustainable fashion. Farming and fishing techniques used are harmful to the environment. Avoid all purchases until stocks recover and conditions improve.

 

crustacean Spider Crab

Scientific Name - Maja squinado
French Common Name - Araignée de mer

 spider crab

Habitat - demersal; marine and brackish water; depth range 0-120 m, usually found above 70m in depth
Diet - macroalgae and benthic invertebrates with little or no mobility
(i.e. chitons, gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, echinoid, solitary ascidians,...) 

Fishing Gear

  1. Primarily: trap and bottom net
  2. Occasionally: bottom trawler

used between August and October in the Western English Channel, bottom trawlers trample the species nurserie grounds

Species under quota

Minimum Commercial Size - 120 mm

Fisheries Status

The European spinous spider crab populations have been stable despite the fact that no quota is in place. This fishery is therefore deemed sustainable.

 

attention It is important to note that since:
- 80% of catches come from the same generation of individuals,
- the majority of catches take place before hatching season,
- increasing the fishing effort decreases the mean size of individuals),
- and clutch size is directly proportional to female size;
an intensification of the fishing effort is likely to lower the reproductive
biomass and recruitment rates, causing this fisheries to be unsustainable.

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Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Ifremer. Araignée de mer.

http://www.ifremer.fr/francais/produits/poisson/araignee/marin-araignee.htm

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

photo:
http://www.ifremer.fr/francais/produits/poisson/araignee/marin-araignee.htm

crustacean Common Shrimp

Scientific Name - Crangon crangon
French Common Name - Crevette grise

 common shrimp

Habitat - demersal; marine and brackish; from the middle shore down to submerged depths of around 150m; typically buries in the sand
Diet - omnivorous: crustaceans, annelid worms, algae, dead fish, etc.

Fishing Gear

Primarily: trap and net
Occasionally: bottom trawler

Fisheries status

Stocks are fully exploited but not endangered.

 

a On the Normandy Coast, shrimp are caught in the littoral zone by bottom trawlers. Since littoral zones serve as nursery grounds for a number of species, this technique is very disruptive and leads to high levels of bycatch of juveniles (of both shrimp and other species).

checkmark Favor shrimp caught with nets and traps.

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

photo:http://www.dkimages.com/discover/DKIMAGES/Discover/Home/Animals/Invertebrates/Arthropods/Crustaceans/Crabs-and-Lobsters/Shrimp/Shrimp/Shrimp-01.html

fish Trout (aquaculture)

Scientific Name - Salmo trutta, Oncorrhynchus mykiss
French Common Name - Tuite arc-en-ciel; Truite fario

 trout

Habitat - pelagic; marine, brackish and freshwater; live in freshwater all their lives or migrate to the sea and return to fresh water to spawn
Diet - plankton, fish eggs, water- dwelling insects, minnows and small crustaceans

Aquaculture - basins on land

Trout production is one of Europe’s oldest aquaculture. It is therefore fairly well managed.

a The increased occurrence of pollution, parasites, habitat degradation and obstructed migration routes (mainly due to dams and water turbines)

checkmark Trouts rarely feed on fish, raising them therefore does not impact wild fish populations ( a fishmeal and fish oil may be used as growth enhancers, be sure to talk to your supplier).

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

Ifremer. Pour une pêche durable. (2008)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/pecheccsti/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/la_gestion/combien/quotas/hareng

MSC. Herring (2008)
http://www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy/fish-to-eat/herring

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/peche/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/les_ressources/lesquelles/poissons/poissons_osseux/truite_de_mer

fish Albacore (caught by hand line)

Scientific Name - Thunnus alalunga
French Common Name - Thon germon / Thon blanc

albacore

Habitat - pelagic-oceanic; marine; depth range 0 - 600 m, found in surface waters of all warm oceans
Diet - opportunistic feeders, feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes

Fishing Gear- hand line

Fisheries status

Stocks worldwide are either fully exploited or overexploited. No stock is on the verge of collapse but the worldwide fishing effort on the albacore tuna must be lessened in order to exploit this resource in a sustainable fashion.

checkmark Favor tuna fished by hand lines (Atlantic) and long lines (Pacific)

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdfh

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.zipcodezoo.com/hp350/Thunnus_alalunga_8.jpg

fish Black Seabream

Scientific Name - Spondyliosoma cantharus
French Common Name - Dorade grise

black seabream

Habitat - benthopelagic; marine; over seagrass beds and rocky/sandy bottoms to about 300m deep
Diet - omnivorous, feed on seaweeds and small invertebrates, especially crustaceans

Fishing Gear

Primarily: trolling, hand-line

Fisheries status

Most stocks are healthy, however the black seabream is a slow growing species, which makes it especially vulnerable to overfishing.

a Born as females, black sea breams turn into males around age 8. This biological trait makes the species especially vulnerable to overfishing since a balanced presence of both young and older individuals is essential to their wellbeing.

checkmark Favor fish caught by hand-line.

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/bream6.jpg

bivalve Flat Oyster

Scientific Name - Ostrea edulis
French Common Name - Huître plate

 oyster

Habitat - brackish water; attaches to rocks, debris or other oyster shells at depths of between 5 and 40m; also found on mud or mud-sand bottoms.
Diet - feeds on planktonic and minute detrital food items

Aquaculture - raised in open ocean (floating trays or rafts, suspended rope, lanterns or plastic baskets hung from the rafts, intertidal trestles and oyster bags)

During the 20th century, the flat oyster populations living along the coasts of France were hit by epizooty (a disease affecting many animals at the same time). Levels have remained low ever since. Research is being carried out to provide farms with a strain resistant to Bonamiasis (a disease presently threatening the flat oyster). Until then, it is unlikely that we will see any increase in production.

 

a The success of oyster farms is highly dependent on the quality of the water. Changes in temperature, pH, and pollution levels have a direct impact on recruitment and growth rates.

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

FAO. Ostrea edulis.
http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Ostrea_edulis/en

photo:
http://www.seafoodfromnorway.com/_binary?id=2954

bivalve Pacific Oyster

Scientific Name - Crassostrea gigas
French Common Name - Huître creuse

oyster

Habitat - brackish water; attaches to rocks, debris or other oyster shells at depths of between 5 and 40m; also found on mud or mud-sand bottoms
Diet - feeds on planktonic and minute detrital food items

Aquaculture - mesh-bottomed tubs

70 to 80% of spat are collected from wild populations, and the remaining 20 to 30% are grown in hatcheries.

 

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

Ifremer. Aquaculture.
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/index.php/aquaculture_en/layout/set/print/filieres/fiches_informations/filiere_mollusques/les_ecloseries_cas_de_l_huitre_creuse

photo:
http://www.letelegramme.com/images/2010/03/05/811421_huitres.jpg

bivalve Cockle

Scientific Name - Cardium edule
French Common Name - Coque

 cockle

Habitat - marine and brackish water; inhabit the middle and lower shore; burrow down no deeper than 5cm into the sand, mud and muddy gravel

Diet - filter feeder

Fishing Gear

Primarily: Fishing on foot

Minimum commercial size - 27 mm

Aquaculture - raised in the wild (in the Croisic region)

Fisheries status

Well monitored and well regulated.

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

photo:
http://www.recettes-cuisine-afrique.info/?Coque

fish European Hake

Scientific Name - Merluccius merluccius
French Common Name - Merlu / Colin / called merlan off the Mediterranean Coast

 hake

Habitat - demersal; marine; depth range 30-1075 m; it lives close to the bottom during day-time, but moves off- bottom at night
Diet - adults feed mainly on fish (small hakes, anchovies, pilchard, herrings, cod fishes, sardines and gadoid species) and squids 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawlers (Mediterranean Sea); gill nets, lobster trawlers and pelagic trawlers (North Atlantic); often caught as bycatch in the lobster fisheries 

Species under quota

Minimum commercial size - 27 cm (North East Atlantic); 30 cm (Skagerrak and Kattegat); 20 cm (Mediterranean)

Fisheries status

In the North-Eastern Atlantic (data from 2007): these fisheries are currently well managed but not yet sustainable. Drastic measures were taken in 2001 to try and save the wild stocks, larger mesh sizes were imposed on all trawlers targeting this species. In 2004, a recovery plan was put in place to increase the reproductive biomass and recruitment rates. And in 2005, selective trawlers for the fisheries of the lobster were made mandatory.

In the South of the North East Atlantic: theInternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommended, in 2007, to close fishing in this region.

In the Mediterranean:  Due to the very high levels of juvenile bycatch, this stock is deemed overexploited.

checkmark Favor individuals issued from the North-East Atlantic fisheries.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Ifremer. Pour une pêche durable. (2008)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/pecheccsti/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/la_gestion/combien/quotas/hareng

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdfh

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/peche/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/les_ressources/ou/les_profondeurs/demersal

fish Atlantic Salmon (aquaculture)

Scientific Name - Salmo salar
French Common Name - Saumon de l’Atlantique

 salmon

Habitat - marine, brackish and freshwater; adults return to natal rivers to spawn
Diet - feed on squid, sand eels, amphipods, shrimp, herring, sand lace, smelt, etc.

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawlers

Occasionally: line, net

During spawning season.

Species under quota

Aquaculture - open ocean floating cages

Salmon farms are often source of environmental degradation and disease spread and release of captive individuals into wild populations.

a Salmon need to swim up rivers in order to spawn, unfortunately, habitat degradation and dam constructions have rendered this task difficult and severely impacted recruitment rates for this species.  

a Salmon born from a cross between a wild individual and a farmed individual have lost their ability to swim up rivers to spawn.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Dumas J, Prouzet P, Porcher J.P., Davaine P (1979). Etat des connaissances sur le saumon en France. Journées d'étude "Aquaculture extensive et repeuplement" - Brest, 29-31 mai 1979. http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6054/

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.seafoodfromnorway.com/page?id=103&key=2499

fish Albacore Tuna

Scientific Name - Thunnus alalunga
French Common Name - Thon germon / Thon blanc

 

albacore

Habitat - pelagic-oceanic; marine; depth range 0 - 600 m, found in surface waters of all warm oceans
Diet - opportunistic feeders, feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes

Fishing Gear

Primarily: net, long line, beam trawler

Occasionally: hand line

Fisheries status

Stocks worldwide are either fully exploited or overexploited. No stock is on the verge of collapse but the worldwide fishing effort on the albacore tuna must be lessened in order to exploit this resource in a sustainable fashion.

checkmark Favor tuna fished by hand lines (Atlantic) and long lines (Pacific)

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdfh

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.zipcodezoo.com/hp350/Thunnus_alalunga_8.jpg

fish Gilthead Seabream

Scientific Name - Sparus aurata
French Common Name - Dorade royale

 gilthead

Habitat - demersal; brackish and marine; depth range 1-150 m, usually found down to 30 m; lives in seagrass beds and sandy bottoms as well as in the surf zone
Diet - mainly carnivorous; feeds on shellfish, including mussels and oysters 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: trawlers, long line, net, trammel

Occasionally: hand line

Minimum commercial size - 20 cm (Mediterranean Sea); none for aquacultured individuals

Aquaculture - floating cages at sea; ponds on land  

Fisheries status

Populations are increasing in the Atlantic waters surrounding Western Europe.

a Born as males, black sea breams turn into females around age 8. This biological trait makes the species especially vulnerable to overfishing since a balanced presence of both young and older individuals is essential to keep viable recruitment rates.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/peche/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/les_ressources/lesquelles/poissons/poissons_osseux/daurade_royale_ou_dorade_royale

fish Seabass (aquaculture)

Scientific Name - Dicentrarchus labrax
French Common Name - Bar commun / Loup

bar

Habitat - demersal; fresh, brackish and marine water; depth range 10-100 m; lives in the littoral zone on various kinds of bottoms in estuaries, lagoons and occasionally rivers
Diet - shrimp, mollusks, small fishes

Aquaculture - floating cages (Mediterranean); ponds on land (Atlantic Coast)

 

------------------------------

Sources:

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y penses?
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:http://www.scienceaction.asso.fr/estran/pagesespaces/bioetaquariums/aquariums/pagespoiss/bar_commun.htm

fish Atlantic Horse Mackerel

Scientific Name - Trachurus trachurus; Trachurus mediterraneus
French Common Name - Chinchard commun; Chinchard a queue jaune

 mackerel

Habitat - pelagic-neritic; marine; depth range 0-1050 m, usually found between 100 and 200 m
Diet - fish, crustaceans, cephalopods 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: pelagic and bottom trawler

Occasionally: seine, set net, trammel

Species under quota

Minimum commercial size - 15 cm

Fisheries status

The horse mackerel is abundant in the Eastern Atlantic but the status of the stocks remains uncertain. Very little is known about the recruitment rates and fishing mortalities associated with these populations. It is therefore wise to adopt the precautionary approach and keep the fishing effort at or below current levels.

a The minimum commercial size is set to 15 cm whereas individuals do not reach sexual maturity until they are approximately 26 cm long.

checkmark Favor individuals of more than 25 cm in length.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Ifremer. Pour une pêche durable. (2008)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/pecheccsti/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/la_gestion/combien/quotas/hareng

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.gastromer.ch/images/produits/chinchard.jpg

fish Yellowfin Tuna

Scientific Name - Thunnus albacares
French Common Name - Thon albacore / Thon jaune

 

yellowfin

Habitat - pelagic-oceanic; marine; found in surface waters of all warm oceans
Diet - opportunistic feeders, feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: seine (Indian Ocean), long line (Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean)

The use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) to attract tuna in the purse seine fisheries results in high levels of bycatch of non-target individuals (i.e. sharks, sea turtles, juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna)  

Species under quota 

Fisheries status

Stocks worldwide are either fully exploited or overexploited. In the Western Tropical Atlantic, the yellow-fin tuna stock is threatened with collapse. Despite the high level of yellow-fin tuna populations, the fishing effort worldwide must be lessened in order to exploit this resource in a sustainable fashion.

a In the Indian Ocean, drift nets are often used to catch yellowfin tuna.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo: http://www.manufacturer.com/images/product/www.alibaba.com/0321/n/11207970_Yellow_Fin_Tuna.jpg

cephalopod Squid / Calamari

Scientific Name - Loligo vulgaris vulgaris
French Common Name - Encornet / Calamar

 squid

Habitat - bethopelagic; marine; depth range 0-500 m; usually found in between the coastal zone and the upper slope
Diet - feed on crustaceans, small fish (e.g. sardines and mackerels) and smaller squids 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawler (caught as bycatch in various fisheries) 

Fisheries status

Adults and juveniles are caught in great numbers along the coasts of France. Because of their short life span and because their recruitment rates are very dependent on environmental conditions, it is difficult to set up an adequate management scheme for this fishery.  

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

photo:
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/var/peche/storage/images/media/peche/photoespece/encornet_rouge/385229-1-fre-FR/encornet_rouge_large.jpg

clam Great Scallop

Scientific Name - Pecten maximus
French Common Name - Coquille Saint Jacques

 scallop

Habitat - demersal; marine; depths down to 80 m; live in the sandy, muddy and stony bottoms of the sublittoral
Diet - filter-feeder (plankton and other microscopic free-floating marine organisms)

 Fishing Gear

  1. Primarily: dredge
  2. Occasionally: bottom trawler

very destructive and poorly selective techniques

Species under quota

Minimum commercial size - 100 mm (North Atlantic); 110 mm (Celtic Sea and Eastern English Channel)

Aquaculture - raised on the littoral front

Fisheries status

Great scallops present all the prerequisites to sustainability: the species is sedentary, rapid growing, and has a young reproductive age and low natural mortality rates. Yet this species is being harvested at levels above the maximum sustainable yield and the fishing techniques used greatly harm the environment.

attention This fisheries in unsustainable in the Baie de Saint Brieuc (Brittany).

checkmark Favor farm-raised scallops rather than wild scallops.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

photo:
http://photos.linternaute.com/photo/1271559/1095147132/743/coquille-st-jacques/

crustacean European Lobster

Scientific Name - Homarus gammarus
French Common Name - Homard européen

 lobster

Habitat - demersal; marine; holes and crevices of shallow waters but retreats to deeper waters in winter
Diet - ground dwelling invertebrates like crabs, mollusks, sea urchins, polychaete worms and starfish but occasionally also fishes, plants and carrion

Fishing Gear

Primarily: lobster pots

Occasionally: trammel, bottom dweller 

Aquaculture

Attempts have been made to run lobster farms, they proved to be unfeasible because of the lobsters' aggressively territorial habits  

Fisheries status

Most stocks are fully exploited, a couple overexploited, but none are threatened with collapse. Lowering catches of immature individuals would populations replenish and help consolidate recruitment rates.

a Avoid individuals smaller than 97 mm in length.

checkmark This fishery is very closely regulated. The capture of egg-bearing females is illegal, specific licenses are required to fish the lobster, and the number of pots allowed to take out to sea is limited.

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Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

photo:
http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/photography/cats/08641.jpg

crustacean Common Prawn

Scientific Name - Palaemon serratus
French Common Name - Crevette rose / Bouquet

 

common prawn

Habitat - demersal; marine and brackish; from the middle shore down to submerged depths of around 150m; typically buries in the sand
Diet - omnivorous: crustaceans, annelid worms, algae, dead fish, etc. 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: trap and net 

Fisheries status

Not enough data is available to accurately assess the health of this fishery.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

photo:
http://www.peixosdepalamos.com/productes.asp?n0=1

fish European Eel

Scientific Name - Anguilla anguilla
French Common Name - Anguille d’Europe / Civelle (young)

eel

Habitat - Demersal; catadromous; fresh, marine and brackish water; when at sea, lives in mud, crevices, and under stones
Diet - Small fishes, carrion and water invertebrates

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawler net for the fishing of the Civelle (young eels)

illegal on the Mediterranean front; spreads diseases and parasites

Species under quota 

Aquaculture - ponds on land

Juveniles are fished from the wild and raised to repopulate wild stocks but risks are unclear: moving fish between rivers may cause the spread of diseases and parasites, and affect genetic diversity.

Fisheries status

The fishery of the European eel is unsustainable. The increased occurrence of pollution, parasites, habitat degradation and obstructed migration routes (mainly due to dams and water turbines) coupled with the increased fishing pressure have caused recruitment to decline for the past 25 years. Today, stocks are lower than they have ever been and numbers are still dwindling.

Since little is known about this species’ biology and ecology, it is difficult to assess and accurately predict the impact of fisheries on stock abundance. The fisheries management sector has therefore opted to use caution and set up restoration plans to ensure the persistence of this fishery. Population and habitat restoration projects are currently underway and a closed season has been imposed of the fisheries so to decrease the level of anthropogenic threats.

attention The eel has been listed as critically endangered under CITES, in 2007.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

AGLIA / IMA. Trois Documents Faisant le Point sut la Situation de l’Anguille en Europe au Printemps 2005. (2005)
http://www.aglia.org/Secure/upload/RessourcesDocs/Avis_2005_acfm.pdf

Ifremer. Comment Peches-t-on?
http://www.ifremer.fr/lth/littoral.php

Ifremer. Anguille Européene (2007)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/peche/content/download/53291/387285/file/avis%20halieutique%20acfm-ang

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.ifremer.fr/delar/peche.htm

 

fish Seabass (wild)

Scientific Name - Dicentrarchus labrax
French Common Name - Bar commun / Loup

seabass

Habitat - demersal; fresh, brackish and marine water; depth range 10-100 m; lives in the littoral zone on various kinds of bottoms in estuaries, lagoons and occasionally rivers
Diet - shrimp, mollusks, small fishes

Fishing Gear

Primarily: long line, net (in the bay of Biscay)
Occasionally: bottom trawler, seine

bottom trawlers are used during spawning season

Minimum commercial size - 36 cm (Atlantic); 30 cm (Mediterranean Sea)

Aquaculture - floating cages (Mediterranean); ponds on land (Atlantic Coast)

Fisheries status

Even though scientific data is lacking concerning the geographic range of each stock, fishing mortality rates and commercial captures, these stocks seem healthy.  According to the CIEM, the sea bass populations can, without risk, tolerate current levels of exploitation.

att Avoid sea bass caught by trawlers (especially during breeding season, which takes place from January to March).

att Avoid fish smaller than 40 cm in length, because even though the legal catch sizes are set bellow that figure, reproductive females don’t usually lay their first clutch before age 7 (41cm).

checkmark The North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee (NESFC) sea bass fishery of this species has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as well-managed and sustainable

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo: http://www.scienceaction.asso.fr/estran/pagesespaces/bioetaquariums/aquariums/pagespoiss/bar_commun.htm
fish Angler

Scientific Name - Lophius piscatorius ; Lophius budegassa
French Common Name - Lotte/ Baudroie commune ; Baudroie rousse

angler

Habitat - bathydemersal; marine; depth range 300 - 1013 m
Diet - small fishes (mackerel, blennies,...)

Fishing Gear

Primarily:bottom trawler, gill net

Fisheries status

In the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay the blackbellied angler fishery is unsustainable due to excessive fishing of juveniles. 
Very little is known about blackbellied angler and data concerning its collection is poor, which makes future trends difficult to predict.
In the North sea and Norwegian Sea : data is lacking. Scientists are unable to establish whether or not fishing is sustainable.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.ifremer.fr/francais/produits/poisson/baudroie/baudroie.htm
fish Swordfish

Scientific Name - Xiphias gladius
French Common Name - Espadon

swordfish

Habitat - pelagic-oceanic; marine; depth range 0-800 m, usually found between 0 and 500 m
Diet - feed on demersal fishes (hakes, pomfrets, cutlassfishes, snake mackerels, redfish, lanternfish, bristlemouths, hatchetfish, etc.), squids and cuttlefishes

Fishing Gear

Primarily: seine, long line, drift net

Net fishing has very high levels of marine mammal and sea turtle bycatch
Juveniles are caught in great numbers

Occasionally: harpoon

Species under quota

Minimum commercial size - 125 cm

Fisheries status
Swordfish can migrate long distances but because they travel fairly slowly, they are very vulnerable to local overexploitation.

att While the ICCA (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) deems the Mediterranean stock to be sustainable, the FAO has listed this stock as overexploited.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

Ifremer. Pour une pêche durable. (2008)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/pecheccsti/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/la_gestion/combien/quotas/hareng

FAO. General situation of world fish stocks. (2004) http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/1000505/en/stocks.pdf

photo :
http://www.landbigfish.com/fish/fish.cfm?ID=101

 

fish Sole

Scientific Name - Solea vulgaris vulgaris, Solea solea
French Common Name - Sole commune / Sole franche / Sole de Douve

seabass

Habitat - demersal; fresh, brackish and marine waters; distributed from coastal waters to depth of 250; found on sandy and muddy bottoms, and digging into sea bottoms
Diet - feed on worms, mollusks and small crustaceans at night

Fishing Gear

Primarily: beam trawler, bottom trawler, trammel

trawlers are responsible for high rates of bycatch of juvenile cod and plaice

Fisheries status

In the Mediterranean: the stock is fully exploited and will easily become overexploited if no measures are put in place to try and stop the fishing effort from intensifying.
In the Bay of Biscay: risk of stock collapse.

checkmark The Hastings Fleet Dover Sole fishery has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as being well managed and sustainable.

checkmark Favor fish longer than 30 cm in size.

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

Marine Stewardship Council.
http://www.msc.org/html/content_1216.htm

photo:
http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/3367/en
fish Shark

Scientific Name - Scyliorhinus canicula, Scyliorhinus stellaris, Mustelus mustelus, Squalus acanthias
French Common Name - Requin: petite roussette, grande roussette, emissole lisse, aiguillat commun, requin ha, siki

shark

Habitat - varies according to the species
Diet - extremely varied: fish, crustaceans, molluscs, marine mammals and other sharks

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawler, surface long line

Fisheries status

A third of all shark species worldwide are listed as endangered in the IUCN red list. The lifecycle of the shark (long-lived, low reproductive rates) makes it incredibly vulnerable to overexploitation. It is therefore recommended to avoid the consumption of sharks altogether.

att Shark fining, though illegal in most of the world, is still a problem today. This practice consists in removing the fins of sharks and throwing the rest of the live animal back into the ocean. (to learn more about the topic visit http://www.sharkwater.com/education.htm)

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.marseille-sympa.com/roussette.jpg
fish Cod

Scientific Name - Gadus morhua
French Common Name - Morue commune / Cabillaud

cod

Habitat - demersal; marine; depth range 0 - 600m, usually found between 150 and 200 m in depth; sandy, muddy and rocky bottoms
Diet - feeds mainly on crustaceans, bivalves, small fishes, worms 

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawler
Occasionally: long line

Species under quota 

Minimum commercial size - 30 cm (Skagerrak and Kattegat); 38 cm (Baltic Sea); 35 cm (everywhere else)

Fisheries status

From the end 1990’s to the early 2000’s, Cod suffered fishing pressures so intense that present-day juvenile populations are in numbers too low to generate viable populations. Measures are currently being put in place to increase the juvenile populations and lower fishing mortality but it will be a few years before we start seeing lasting increases in population numbers.

Off the Northern Coast: Spawning stock biomass has decrease by nearly 8-fold between 1968 and 2006.

In the Mediterranean Sea: recruitment rates are very low since 2002; the stock would greatly benefit from lowering the fishing pressure.

z The only stocks that are not yet overexploited are those from the North East Artic and those from Island. All others are either overexploited or threatened with extinction.  

checkmark Cod from the Pacific Gadus macrocephalus is MSC certified, but don’t forget your carbon footprint!

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Ifremer. Pour une pêche durable. (2008)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/pecheccsti/layout/set/print/la_peche_et_ses_acteurs/la_gestion/combien/quotas/hareng

Greenpeace. Et ta Mer t'y Penses? (2006)
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/france/presse/dossiers-documents/et-ta-mer-t-y-penses.pdfh

Ifremer. Morue (Gadus morhua) Stock de mer Celtique (Divisions VIIe-k du CIEM)(2006)
http://wwz.ifremer.fr/peche/content/download/53450/388270/file/fiche detaillee lorient_moruemc_2006.pdf

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.nautic-seafood.com/cm-webpic/gadus_morhua_sw.jpg

 

fish Atlantic Salmon (wild)

Scientific Name - Salmo salar
French Common Name - Saumon de l’Atlantique

 salmon

Habitat - marine, brackish and freshwater; adults return to natal rivers to spawn
Diet - feed on squid, sand eels, amphipods, shrimp, herring, sand lace, smelt, etc.

Fishing Gear

Primarily: bottom trawlers

Occasionally: line, net

During spawning season.

Species under quota

Fisheries status -

Salmon need to swim up rivers in order to spawn, unfortunately, habitat degradation and dam constructions have rendered this task difficult and severely impacted recruitment rates for this species.
All stocks targetted by French fleets are overexploited.

checkmark The Alaska salmon fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), but don't forget your carbon footprint!

------------------------------

Sources:

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2008)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/FrenchSpeciesGuide_RevisedFinal.pdf

Seafood Choices Alliance Produits de la Mer. Guide des espèces à l’usage des professionnels. (2009)
http://www.seafoodchoices.org/resources/documents/MAJSeafood.pdf

WWF France. Conso-guide. (2007)
http://assets.panda.org/downloads/guide_poisson.pdf

Dumas J, Prouzet P, Porcher J.P., Davaine P (1979). Etat des connaissances sur le saumon en France. Journées d'étude "Aquaculture extensive et repeuplement" - Brest, 29-31 mai 1979. http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6054/

Fish Base.
http://www.fishbase.org/

photo:
http://www.seafoodfromnorway.com/page?id=103&key=2499

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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