The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) will release a report on the status and perspectives of North East Atlantic fish stocks in the Celtic Seas, the North Sea, the Bay of Biscay and Iberian Seas, Deepwater and Widely Distributed stocks.
The 21 international scientists of the Advisory Committee on Fishery Management (ACFM) have analysed the status of these commercial fish stocks at their October advisory meeting in Copenhagen. The general status for many groundfish is that stock size is low and fishing pressure is still high although there are positive signals of decreases in fishing pressure. The large pelagic stocks are generally more abundant in the Northeast Atlantic.
While the information on the major stocks is sufficient to capture the big picture clearly the reliability of data from some fisheries is doubtful and therefore restricts ICES’ possibilities to provide accurate assessments of stock sizes. On the other hand, there are now several science-industry partnerships developing and this could improve the situation in the near future.
Positive message for cod in the North Sea
The North Sea cod stock declined severely during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The fishing pressure on this stock has been too high for many years and the number of young fish has been very low. Martin Pastoors, ACFM Chair, said today: “Our scientific surveys show that the number of young fish has increased, although only to half of the long term average. These young fish could contribute substantially to the recovery of the North Sea cod stock. We also observe a decrease in mortality which is a welcome signal in response to the management efforts from the past year. But it is not enough. We recommend constraining catches in 2008 to less than 50% of the 2006 catches. And this should include measures to constrain discards and illegal catches. This should give these young fish the opportunity to grow and to reproduce and thereby to contribute to the recovery of this important fish stock. ”
Norwegian spring spawning herring: the biggest stock in ICES area
The Norwegian spring spawning herring stock in the Northeastern Atlantic remains at a high level. ICES estimates that the spawning stock size is around 12 million tons and it is by far the largest stock in the ICES area. The fishing pressure on this stock is low and therefore the outlook is very positive.
Norway pout in the North Sea is recovering
After several years when the North Sea Norway pout fishery has been closed, due to low stock size, the stock has now produced a strong yearclass that allows a sustainable fishery in 2008.
Blue whiting faces rapid decline
The blue whiting stock is declining rapidly due to a much lower supply of young fish and a fishing pressure that is not sustainable. ICES recommends larger reductions in catches than have been agreed by the management bodies.
Recruitment of anchovy in Bay of Biscay remains low
The outlook for anchovy in the Bay of Biscay is still poor. The number of young fish in 2006 and 2007 has been very low. Because anchovy is a short-lived species, there are very few adult fish in the population and ICES recommends to keep the fishery closed.
