{"id":244,"date":"2026-03-06T10:50:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/?page_id=244"},"modified":"2026-03-06T11:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:01:28","slug":"toothfish","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/overview\/commercial-species\/toothfish\/","title":{"rendered":"Toothfish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Overview<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Commercial Species<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Toothfish<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Patagonian Toothfish – TOO<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Common Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Toothfish (UK), Merluza negra (SP), Antar (PO), Ookuchi, Mero (JA), L\u00e9gine australe (FR)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific Name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dissostichus eleginoides<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Body elongate, compressed, with depressed head. Snout long, eye small (16% of head length). Single nostril with small flap. Mouth large, oblique, protrusible, posterior end extending to middle of eye; lower jaw projecting well anterior to upper jaw; fleshy lips well developed on both jaws. Jaw teeth sharply conical; several large teeth in upper jaw; sparsely spaced teeth on lower jaw; no teeth on vomer or palatines. Gill rakers nub-like; pseudobranchiae present. Scales small, cycloid; scales on upper surface of head end at anterior margin of eye (upper snout naked). Lateral line double, both nearly straight; lower line extending forward over or nearly to pectoral fin. Pectoral fins large and fan-like, the upper rays longest, reaching slightly past anal fin origin. Pelvic fin reaching slightly past pectoral fin base. Two dorsal fins, first dorsal fin base short with 8-10 flexible spines, second dorsal fin base long with 26-30 soft rays. Anal fin base shorter than second dorsal, with the insertion posterior to 2nd dorsal fin insertion. Caudal fin emarginate. Body colouration dark green to brownish-grey, with indistinct darker blotches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size Range<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From 30 to 215 cm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depth Range<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From 70 to 1500 m<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Distribution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Demersal, throughout the FICZ\/FOCZ as well as circumpolar: South Georgia, Kerguelen, New Zealand, North along the continental shelf (Pacific & Atlantic).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fishery Status<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Longliners, operating in waters deeper than 600 m, using squid and sardine baits, have successfully targeted large specimens (1 to 1.7 m total length) of this species. Taken also as bycatch by bottom trawlers in the Loligo fishery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This species is commonly eaten by sperm whales. It feeds on other fishes and cephalopods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Toothfish<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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For more information, please contact
the Fisheries Department<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll find our office hours, location, and full contact details below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Contact us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Patagonian Toothfish – TOO Common Names Toothfish (UK), Merluza negra (SP), Antar (PO), Ookuchi, Mero (JA), L\u00e9gine australe (FR) Scientific…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":240,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-244","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nToothfish Commercial Species - Falkland Islands<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Overview of the Patagonian toothfish commercial fishery around the Falkland Islands and how this valuable deepwater species is managed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.fk\/fisheries\/overview\/commercial-species\/toothfish\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Toothfish Commercial Species - 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