2020 assessment of the state of the fish populations fished in France

How are the fish populations fished in France in 2020? Are their demographics in good shape or are they at the bottom of the wave? Is the renewal of generations of fish assured, and are the ecosystems to which they belong sufficiently productive and healthy for the waters frequented by our fishermen to continue to be sustainably full of fish, today and tomorrow?

All these questions are major challenges for France, the fourth largest country in terms of the volume of fish caught in Europe, behind the United Kingdom, Denmark and Spain. As they do every year, scientists, including those from Ifremer, try to answer them by providing diagnostics that allow an annual assessment of the state of the main populations caught.

What trends emerge for 2020 as the COVID crisis leads the fishing industry into a zone of great turbulence? Ifremer will support fishermen and work towards the conservation of marine ecosystems, because solving the equation of more sustainable fishing means better combining resource exploitation and environmental conservation. Ensuring that this complex balance is maintained: this is the crucial role of Ifremer's science and researchers.