What is fish discards in France?

Fish discards in France was 96,060 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fish discards recorded in France?

The highest recorded value was 214,142 in 1987.

What is the lowest fish discards recorded in France?

The lowest recorded value was 48,364 in 1950.

How does France rank for fish discards?

France ranks 15th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.

Is fish discards rising or falling in France?

Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this France data come from?

The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fish discards in France

Name: Fish discards in France
Creator: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

France: Fish discards was 96,060 in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)

96,060

Change on year

down 19.9%

World rank

15th

of 161 countries

All-time high

214,142

in 1987

All-time low

48,364

in 1950

Years of data

1950–2018

Fish discards in France, 1950–2018

Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for fish discards in France is 96,060, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of down 19.9% on the previous year and down 24.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fish discards in France peaked at 214,142 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 48,364, in 1950.

That places France 15th out of 161 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	67,074	48,364	81,421	10
1960s	95,469	83,042	110,855	10
1970s	141,788	117,156	160,736	10
1980s	178,051	155,661	214,142	10
1990s	168,522	159,811	191,728	10
2000s	156,471	110,741	187,927	10
2010s	116,194	96,060	163,770	9

Countries ranked near France

12 Spain 174,809 compare
13 Morocco 161,670 compare
14 Ghana 145,268 compare
16 Taiwan 93,770 compare
17 Guinea 85,618 compare
18 Portugal 82,934 compare

See the full ranking of 161 places →

More agriculture & rural data for France

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 47.24 billion current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.4% (2025)
Rural population 14.54 million (2025)
Rural population growth 0.0% (2025)
Rural population 21.2% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials exports 1.0% (2024)
Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.4% (2025)
Share of GDP from agriculture 1.4% (2025)
Land under cereal production 8.53 million hectares (2024)

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is fish discards in France?: Fish discards in France was 96,060 in 2018, according to Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fish discards recorded in France?: The highest recorded value was 214,142 in 1987.
What is the lowest fish discards recorded in France?: The lowest recorded value was 48,364 in 1950.
How does France rank for fish discards?: France ranks 15th out of 161 countries with data for 2018.
Is fish discards rising or falling in France?: Over the last ten years it is down 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?: The figures come from Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fish discards. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fish discards
Source: Sea Around Us (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 161 places, 9,371 data points, 1950–2018
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Discards are animals thrown back (alive or dead) into the sea after being caught during fishing activities. This represents bycatch (fish caught unintentionally) that is not brought ashore for use.