John Dory

This stock is severely data-limited, with no formal stock assessment for over 10 years. There is concern for the biomass but no concern for fishing pressure.Little is known about John dory. It is a widely distributed species throughout the world, but there are no formal stock assessments or management measures in place. In at least one part of its range, off Mauritania, the species experienced a rate of decrease in biomass of 7% annually over a period of 24 years. It continues to be heavily exploited off Mauritania. In the UK, however, a 2011 report assessed it as an 'underutilised' species.While there is no information about the status of the stock, in the UK there is no targeted fishery for this species, and it is only caught as unavoidable bycatch. As long as this remains the case, MCS considers that fishing pressure is not of concern. This species has medium resilience to fishing pressure.John Dory is generally found shallower than 200m, and shows preference for warmer temperatures. Consequently, it is considered a climate change 'winner', with increasing sea temperatures resulting in more suitable habitat being available. Their distributions are shifting northwards and fishers have recently seen more of more of them in the North Sea.This is not a targeted species, occurring instead as bycatch in demersal fisheries. FAO data indicates that catches of this species in the North East Atlantic (NEA) peaked in 2010 at 5,100 tonnes and then declined to 3,131t in 2016 - the lowest catch since 2002. According to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), 229 tonnes of John Dory were landed by UK vessels in 2020, about half of which was caught in the western English Channel. Most of the rest was caught to the west of that, in the Bristol Channel, Celtic Sea and south and west of Ireland. It is possible that the fish in these areas constitute one stock, with another off the Iberian coast, but stock structure is unknown. Over 75% of the catch in 2020 was by otter trawl, and most of the rest (around 12%) by beam trawl. As with the wider North East Atlantic fishery, recent UK catches have declined (from 308 tonnes in 2014). This could be caused by a number of factors.

For more information about this rating please visit: http://www.cornwallgoodseafoodguide.org.uk/fish-guide/john-dory.php

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