European consumers have been paying more for their wild-caught seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) this year as supplies of this highly popular species but under pressure continue to contract.
The combination of slow growth, late maturity, spawning aggregation and strong site fidelity have increased the vulnerability of bass to overexploitation and localized depletion in recent years. In 2015, emergency measures were progressively implemented in the EU to tackle the problem, including a short-term ban on pelagic trawling, a three-fish bag limit for recreational fishermen, a monthly catch limit of 1–3 metric tons (MT) according to fishing gear, and an increase in the minimum size of northern seabass from 36 to 42 cm. These measures have been further strengthened this year with the aim of bringing the stock under maximum sustainable yield (MSY) management by 2017.
In France, approximately 220 small vessels using lines and employing approximately 270 fishermen derive more than 50 percent of their revenue from bass, as do 21 midwater pelagic trawlers with approximately 100 fishermen.
According to new figures published by the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA), for the seven months January through July 2016, the accumulated first sales of seabass in France was EUR 19 million (USD 20.7 million), down 17 percent year-on-year, for 1,445 MT, a decrease of 24 percent.
During this period, the average unit price was EUR 15.58 (USD 16.96) per kg or 8 percent higher than in the same period of 2015 and 19% higher than in 2014.
As a result of the new regulations, the share of large seabass (>2 kg) in the total volume landed has increased from 27.9 percent in the first seven months of 2015 to 35.8 percent this year. This increase was observed for both line-caught bass and bass caught with other gear, with a price premium for line-caught seabass still prevalent at the first-sales level: EUR 19.91 (USD 21.68) per kg for line- caught bass (all size categories included) versus EUR 12.19 (USD 13.27) per kg for bass caught with other fishing gear in January-July 2016.
However at a wholesale level, the price premium has decreased during 2016. In July 2016, the average price of 1−2 kg trawl-caught seabass was EUR 24.50 (USD 26.67) per kg, putting an 8 percent premium on line-caught. For the first time, the wholesale price was the same for both line-caught and trawl-caught seabass in the size category of 2–3 kg at EUR 27.50 (USD 29.94) per kg.
