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ABSTRACT.Dissostichus eleginoides
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
Key words:
Stocks de merluza negra (Dissostichus eleginoides) en aguas sudamericanas y sus implicancias
para la gestión pesquera
RESUMEN. Dissostichus eleginoides
D. eleginoides
stock
Patagonian toothsh (Dissostichus eleginoides) stocks in South American
waters and its implications for shery management
*
Gonzalo H. Troccoli
Marine and
Fishery Sciences
MAFIS
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
110
Dissostichus eleginoides
stocks
D. eleginoides
Palabras clave: Stocks
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America 111
Dissostichus eleginoides D. elegi-
noides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Biology and ecology of Patagonian toothsh
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Dissostichus
D. mawsoniD. mawsoni
D. eleginoides
D. australis
D. mawsoniD. eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
D. elegi-
noides
Dissostichus eleginoides
D. mawsoni
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Champs-
ocephalus esox Patagonotothen
ramsayi
The sheries of Dissostichus eleginoides
D.
eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Dissostichus eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
The importance of stock discrimination in sh-
eries management
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
Contributions to the understanding of the popu-
lation structure of Patagonian toothsh
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Genetics studies
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Otolith microchemistry and morphology
D. eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America 119
D. eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
Tagging and recapture
D.
eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
D. eleginoides
D. elegi-
noides
<
>
D. eleginoides
>
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
D.
eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. elegi-
noides
Spawning characteristics
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Egg and larvae dispersion
Dissostichus eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
D. eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
126
ious authors for dierent regions where the species
is distributed (Table 1).
According to studies conducted by dierent au-
thors, distinct LT50% values have been observed
among dierent study areas. However, dierences
may be attributed to the methods employed in
each estimation, especially maturity scales, the
technique used for stage assignment (macro or
microscopic), and the seasonal coverage of sam-
plings, making comparison challenging. The only
thing that seems evident and is repeated in almost
all studies is that males mature at smaller body
sizes than females. On the other hand, in those
estimations corresponding to the southernmost
American region, it would appear that values of
length at rst maturity on the Atlantic continental
shelf are quite similar to each other and lower
than those corresponding to the Chilean Pacic,
with the exception of those reported by Arana
(2009). They also seem to be distinguishable from
those estimated in the South Georgia Islands area,
where dierences between males and females are
more pronounced. Prenski and Almeida (2000)
mentioned that specimens possibly mature at an
earlier age in the Patagonian region compared to
those from South Georgia Islands due to more
precocious development caused by temperature
eects. However, later estimates in the Argentine
Sea (Pájaro et al. 2009; Ruocco et al. 2017) would
indicate that at least males would mature at larger
lengths compared to records obtained in the South
Georgia Islands.
Parasitic fauna
Parasitic fauna is a useful biological marker and
a widely accepted methodology for discriminating
sh stocks (MacKenzie 2002; Catalano et al. 2014;
Timi and MacKenzie 2015). It has been applied in
various sh species from the Southwest Atlantic,
and it has been observed that both oceanographic
conditions and host characteristics inuence par-
asitic composition and provide insights into stock
dierentiation (Braicovich and Timi 2008; Timi
ering various retention areas on the Patagonian
shelf, Harte (2020) surprisingly postulated that
Burdwood Bank seems to have little to no connec-
tivity with retention areas around Malvinas Islands
or the Patagonian shelf. It is unlikely to contrib-
ute signicantly to the supply or retention of eggs
and larvae of D. eleginoides in the region. Instead,
results from simulations suggest that spawning
areas in southern Chile are likely the most impor-
tant source of reproductive products for Malvinas
Islands shing grounds. When analyzing the poten-
tial processes governing the ontogenetic migration
and recruitment strength of D. eleginoides in the
Patagonian shelf sector around Malvinas Islands,
Lee et al. (2021) also proposed that after spawn-
ing, eggs and larvae are transported to that area by
currents from reproduction areas located south of
Chile and Burdwood Bank. The presence of sea-
sonal mesoscale eddies connecting the subantarctic
Front with Malvinas Current seems to be of para-
mount importance for the survival of eggs and lar-
vae of the species. However, Rubilar et al. (2014)
found that southern Chile has numerous juvenile
rearing and toothsh recruitment areas, suggesting
that many of them have not yet been adequately
identied and valued. This observation contradicts
to some extent the hypothesis that recruitment oc-
curs mainly on the Argentine shelf south and east of
Malvinas Islands, indicating that it also takes place
in Chilean waters. In this area, juveniles are found
in signicant numbers, at least from 47° S and up
to the border with Argentine waters, implying that
the transport of reproductive products, if it occurs,
could be a phenomenon of smaller dimensions than
assumed by Harte (2020) and Lee et al. (2021).
Length at rst sexual maturation
There are dierent estimations of the length at
rst sexual maturation of the Patagonian toothsh
in the southern region of Atlantic, Pacic and Indi-
an oceans and around the southernmost American
region. As a result, this study describes values of
length at rst maturation (LT50%) estimated by var-
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America 127
et al. 2009; Alarcos and Timi 2013; Alarcos et al.
2016; Cantatore et al. 2016).
In the case of D. eleginoides, Collins et al.
(2010) indicated that 62 dierent parasite species
have been reported. Various studies have demon-
strated that the greatest dierences in parasitic
fauna corresponded to distant localities within its
distribution range (Gaevskaya et al. 1990; Rodri-
guez and George-Nascimento 1996; Brickle et al.
2005, 2006; Brown et al. 2012). When compar-
ing the number of metazoan genera parasitic on
D. eleginoides from central Chile to those report-
ed by Gayevskaya et al. (1990), Rodriguez and
George-Nascimento (1996) found a higher degree
of similarity with those reported for the Malvi-
nas Islands area than with those found in samples
from the South Georgia Islands. However, authors
indicated that, in geographic terms, the parasite
fauna of D. eleginoides recorded in South Georgia
Islands shows higher taxonomic richness, while
fauna recorded in Malvinas Islands exhibited in-
termediate similarities between Chile and South
Georgia Islands. In all studies referring to parasitic
fauna in the mentioned ocean sector, dierences
in parasite species and infestation levels related
to ontogenetic development have been reported.
Generally, larger sh harbor a greater quantity and
variety of parasites, as described by Brickle et al.
Table 1. Length at rst sexual maturation (LT50%) of Dissostichus eleginoides estimated by various authors in dierent sectors of
the species distribution in the southern region of the Atlantic, Pacic and Indian oceans.
Source Area TL50% males (cm) TL50% females (cm)
CCAMLR (1987) South Georgia Islands 57.7 110.4
Moreno (1998) South Georgia Islands 67.0 86.0
Everson y Murray (1999) South Georgia Islands 78.5 98.2
Agnew et al. (1999) South Georgia Islands 75.0 101.0
Laptikhovsky y Brickle Burdwood Bank and 86.0 90.0
(2005) ‘East of the Malvinas Islands’
Prenski y Almeyda (2000) Burdwood Bank 76.3 87.1
Pájaro et al. (2009) Northern slope of the Atlantic 84.7 84.7
Patagonian shelf (39° S-47° S)
Pájaro et al. (2009) Southern slope of Cape Horn- 80.7 83.1
Burdwood Bank (55° S-57° S)
Ruocco et al. (2017) Northern slope (38° S-42° S) and 81.1 78.9
east (54° S-58° S) of the Atlantic
Patagonian shelf T
Ruocco et al. (2019) Southern slope (54° S-58° S) 75.0 76.4
of the Atlantic Patagonian shelf T
Moreno et al. (1997) Southern Pacic (Chile) 105.0 117.0
Young et al. (1999) Southern Pacic (Chile) 128.7
Oyarzún et al. (2003b) Southern Pacic (Chile) 78.0-94.0 113.0-117.0
Arana (2009) Southern Pacic (Chile) 81.0 89.0
Duhamel (1991) Kerguelen Islands 65.0 80.0
Lord et al. (2006) Kerguelen Islands 63.0 85.0
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
Elytrophalloides oatesi
E. oatesi
Elytrophalloi-
des oatesi
Alternatives for the management of Dissostichus
eleginoides sheries in the southernmost Ameri-
can region based on population structure
D. eleginoides
Maintain the current management scheme of dier-
ent sheries in the area
Progress in the study and potential application of
the metapopulation concept, which could charac-
terize the distinct groups of located
in the area
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
D.
eleginoides
Accepting the existence of distinct, independently
managed, Patagonian toothsh stocks in the seas
surrounding the southern region of South America
D. eleginoides
Discussion on the available information for se-
lecting a management alternative
D. eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
D. elegi-
noides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
D. eleginoides
D. eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
D. eleginoides
D. elegi-
noides
Author contributions
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Paralichthys isosceles
Xystreurys rasileas
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
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136
ing by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Can
J Fish Aquat Sci. 65: 135-146.
2005. Dietary composition of juvenile Dissosti-
chus eleginoides
-
lar Biol. 28: 637-641.
1999a.
-
1999b. The
1999. A holistic approach
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
04/86.
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissosti-
chus eleginoides
2008. Parasites as biolog-
-
Percophis brasiliensis in the South
2005. Para-
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Subantarctic. Polar Biol. 28: 663-671.
2006. Varia-
tions in the parasite fauna of the Patagonian
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides -
278-301.
1987.
-
-
-
Dissostichus eleginoides
2012. The par-
Dissos-
tichus eleginoides
-
Dissostichus eleginoides
65-74.
-
(Dissostichus eleginoides
397
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Gadus morhua
Dissostichus eleginoides
Merluccius hubbsi
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus mawsoni
Dissos-
tichus mawsoni
Scomberomorus
cavalla
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
D. mawsoni
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus ele-
ginoides
Dissos-
tichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissosti-
chus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dis-
sostichus eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus el-
eginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Wöhler et al.: Stocks and fishery management of Patagonian toothfish in Sout America
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Marine and Fishery Sciences 38 (1): 109-144 (2025)
Dissostichus elegi-
noides
Dissostichus eleginoides
Dissostichus
eleginoides
