Almost half of fish sold in France is 'not from sustainable sources'

Nearly half of fish sold in France comes from unsustainable populations, a report from the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea has found – as it warned that overfishing remained a major environmental problem.

Sardines at a fish store in Manosque, south-eastern France. AFP - JOEL SAGET

Published on Tuesday, Ifremer's report underscores ongoing challenges as France falls well short of the European Union's 100 percent sustainable fishing target.

This is despite minor progress over the past 12 months.

Of the 347,000 tons of fish unloaded in France in 2022, 56 percent was sustainably sourced. That figure is up from 54 percent the previous year.

The report also found that 20 percent of species in French markets – including mackerel and sardines – still comes from overfished populations.

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Population 'collapse'

Some species, such as pollack in the English Channel and hake in the Mediterranean, have experienced population collapses, the researchers said.

Even when fished at their highest sustainable yields, many fish populations remain fragile because their sustainability relies on successful reproduction each year.

Ifremer also noted regional disparities: in the Mediterranean only 36.5 percent of the 18,000 tons of fish caught were from sustainable sources.

The North Sea and the eastern English Channel performed better, with 63 percent of seafood volumes coming from healthy populations propped up by abundant herring and scallop resources.

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Progress too slow

While progress has been made since the year 2000, when only 10 percent of fish was sustainably sourced, Ifremer says improvement has stagnated over the past five years.

Clara Ulrich, Ifremer's fisheries expertise coordinator, said young fish were struggling to thrive in their natural environments – with only one egg in 100,000 making it to adulthood.

"To achieve sustainable fishing, we not only need to reach the goal of having 100 percent sustainable fish populations – but also maintain it in the long term," she said.

"To achieve this, we need to better understand the factors influencing the development of fish eggs and larvae, especially with climate change."

Rising water temperatures have impacted marine biodiversity, she added, leading to a drop in the availability of food resources.

(with newswires)