Commercial fishing in the Ross Sea

COLTO members have been fishing for toothfish in the Ross Sea for the past 15 years.

The New Zealand Seafood Industry Council, representing NZ toothfish operators in COLTO, have prepared the attached information sheet to contribute to conversations surrounding sustainable fishing operations in the Ross Sea region.   

The information sheet provides basic data on Antarctic Toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni) as well as some clarification on the percentage of open and closed areas to fishing that currently exist in the Ross Sea.

It also highlights some of the findings of Ross Sea independent research, and CCAMLR stock assessments, which show no evidence of declining trends in abundance or catch rate of toothfish through the Ross Sea region, and little or no impacts on dependent species and the ecosystem.