White anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) in divisions 8.c and 9.a (Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters)

Transcription

1 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast Ecoregion Published 29 June White anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) in divisions 8.c and 9.a (Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters) ICES advice on fishing opportunities ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2019 should be no more than 2153 tonnes. Management of L. piscatorius and L. budegassa under a combined species TAC prevents effective control of the singlespecies exploitation rates and could lead to the overexploitation of either species. Stock development over time The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has been increasing since 1994 and has been above MSY Btrigger since Fishing mortality (F) has been below FMSY since Recruitment (R) has been low in recent years, with no evidence of strong year classes since Figure 1 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Summary of stock assessment (weights in thousand tonnes). Assumed recruitment values are unshaded. Confidence intervals are 90%. Stock and exploitation status ICES assesses that fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY and that spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim. Table 1 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. State of the stock and fishery relative to reference points. ICES Advice

2 Catch scenarios Table 2 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast. All weights are in tonnes, recruitment in numbers. Variable Value Notes F cm (2018) Mean F ( ) SSB (2019) Assessment forecast R age 0 (2018) Geometric mean ( ) R age 0 (2019) Geometric mean ( ) Total catch (2018) 1556 Discarding assumed to be neglible Landings (2018) 1556 Based on F 2018 Discards 0 Discarding assumed to be neglible Table 3 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Annual catch scenarios. All weights are in tonnes. The % change in TAC is not computed because the TAC is for the two species (L. piscatorius and L. budegassa) combined. Total catch Basis (2019) F total (2019) SSB (2020) % SSB change * % Advice change ** ICES advice basis MSY approach: F MSY = F Other scenarios F = F pa F lim SSB (2020) = B lim SSB (2020) = B pa SSB (2020) = MSY B trigger F = F F = F MSY lower F = F MSY upper MSY approach: F MSY lower MSY approach: F MSY upper * SSB 2020 relative to SSB ** Catch in 2019 relative to advice for 2018 (2197 tonnes). Despite an increase in the estimated biomass, there is a 2% decrease in the advice compared to last year due to the revision of the FMSY reference point from 0.31 in 2017 to in Basis of the advice Table 4 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. The basis of the advice. Advice basis MSY approach ICES is not aware of any currently agreed precautionary management plans for anglerfish in this area. Management plan The European Commission has proposed a multiannual management plan (MAP) for the Western Waters, which is not yet finalized (EU, 2018). Quality of the assessment This stock was benchmarked in 2018 (ICES, 2018a); therefore, the present assessment is not fully comparable with previous years assessments. While the temporal trends in SSB and F are similar to those previously estimated, the biomass of the stock is higher and fishing mortality is lower. Since 2013, the only available index has been the bottom trawl survey (SpNSGFS-WIBTS-Q4). The new assessment method is expected to provide more consistent estimates of recruitment. ICES Advice

3 Figure 2 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Historical assessment results. This stock was benchmarked in Issues relevant for the advice The two anglerfish species (L. piscatorius and L. budegassa) are not totally separated in the landings. A single TAC covers both species, with species-specific landings being estimated by ICES (ICES, 2018b). ICES considers that management of the two anglerfish species under a combined TAC prevents effective control of the single-species exploitation rates and could lead to overexploitation of either species. A mixed-fisheries analysis covering the stocks in Iberian waters of hake, megrim, four-spot megrim, and white anglerfish is provided in ICES (2018c). Reference points Table 5 Framework MSY approach Precautionary approach Management plan White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Reference points, values, and their technical basis. All weights are in tonnes. Reference point Value Technical basis Source MSY B trigger th percentile of the SSB when fishing at F MSY. ICES (2018a) F MSY 0.24 Stochastic simulations based on a segmented regression. ICES (2018a) B lim 1993 B loss (lowest observed SSB value). ICES (2018a) B pa 2769 B lim exp(σ 1.645), where σ = 0.2. ICES (2018a) F lim 0.56 Stochastic simulations where F lim corresponds to 50% probability of SSB < B lim. ICES (2018a) F pa 0.40 F lim exp( σ 1.645), where σ = 0.2. ICES (2018a) SSB mgt Not applicable F mgt Not applicable MAP MSY B trigger 6283 MSY B trigger MAP B lim 1993 B lim MAP F MSY 0.24 F MSY Consistent with ranges resulting in no more than 5% MAP range reduction in long-term yield compared with MSY F lower (ICES, 2016a). MAP range F upper 0.33 Consistent with ranges resulting in no more than 5% reduction in long-term yield compared with MSY (ICES, 2016a). ICES Advice

4 Basis of the assessment Table 6 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Basis of the assessment and advice. ICES stock data category 1 (ICES, 2016) Assessment type Length-based model (SS3; ICES, 2018a; b) that uses landings in the model and in the forecast. Landings, length distribution; commercial catches (international official landings); one survey index (SP- Input data NSGFS-WIBTS-Q ); two commercial indices (LPUE series from SP-CORUTR8c and SP- CEDGNS8c ); assumed constant natural mortality. Discards and bycatch Discarding is not quantified, assumed to be negligible. Indicators None Other information This stock was benchmarked in WKANGLER (ICES, 2018a). Working group Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Waters Ecoregion (WGBIE) Information from stakeholders There is no additional information available. History of the advice, catch, and management Table 7 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. ICES advice and official landings. All weights are in tonnes. Landings Landings corresponding to ICES landings for corresponding Agreed ICES advice advice for combined to advice for TAC* combined Lophius species L. piscatorius Lophius species ICES landings L. piscatorius 1987 Not dealt with Not dealt with Not dealt with Not dealt with No advice No advice No long-term gain in increasing F No advice If required a precautionary TAC If required a precautionary TAC If required a precautionary TAC Restrict catch to < 80% recent 1998 levels Reduce F to F pa % reduction in F % reduction in F % reduction in F % reduction in F F = 0 or recovery plan** 0** F = 0 or recovery plan F = 0 or recovery plan F = 0 or recovery plan F = 0 or recovery plan Same advice as last year F = 0 or management plan MSY framework MSY framework MSY transition ICES Advice

5 ICES advice Landings corresponding to advice for combined Lophius species Landings corresponding to advice for L. piscatorius Agreed TAC* ICES landings for combined Lophius species ICES landings L. piscatorius 2014 MSY approach MSY approach MSY approach^ MSY approach^ MSY approach^ MSY approach^ 2153 * For Lophius piscatorius and L. budegassa combined. For Division 8.c and subareas 9 and 10; EU waters of CECAF ** Single-stock boundary and the exploitation of this stock should be conducted in the context of mixed fisheries, protecting stocks outside safe biological limits. ^ Advice is for catch. History of the catch and landings Table 8 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Catch distribution by fleet in 2017 as estimated by ICES. All weights are in tonnes. Catch Landings Discards 1446 Gillnet 55% Trawl 27% Artisanal 9.5% 1446 Others 0.13% Unallocated 8.2% Discarding is negligible ICES Advice

6 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast Ecoregion Published 29 June Table 9 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. History of commercial catch and landings; both the official and ICES estimated values are presented by area for each country participating in the fishery. All weights are in tonnes. Division 8.c Division 9.a Division 8.c Spain France Spain Portugal Division 9.a Divisions 8.c and 9.a Unallocated Trawl Gillnet Other Trawl Gillnet Total Trawl Gillnet Other Trawl Artisanal Total Subtotal Non-reported Total 1978 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a ICES Advice

7 Division 8.c Division 9.a Division 8.c Spain France Spain Portugal Trawl Gillnet Other Trawl Gillnet Total Trawl Gillnet Other Trawl Artisanal Total Subtotal Division 9.a Divisions 8.c and 9.a Unallocated Non-reported n/a = not available. Total ICES Advice

8 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast Ecoregion Published 29 June Summary of the assessment Table 10 White anglerfish in divisions 8.c and 9.a. Assessment summary. Weights are in tonnes. High and low refer to 90% confidence intervals. All weights are in tonnes and recruitment is in thousands. Recruitment age 0 High Low SSB High Low Catch F Lengths cm thousands tonnes tonnes * *Geometric mean Sources and references EU Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing a multiannual plan for fish stocks in the Western Waters and adjacent waters, and for fisheries exploiting those stocks, amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1139 establishing a multiannual plan for the Baltic Sea, and repealing Regulations (EC) No 811/2004, (EC) No 2166/2005, (EC) No 388/2006, (EC) 509/2007 and (EC) 1300/2008. COM/2018/0149 final. 30 pp. ICES Advice basis. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, ICES Advice 2016, Book 1, Section 1.2. ICES Advice

9 ICES. 2018a. Report of the Benchmark Workshop on Anglerfish Stocks in the ICES Area (WKANGLER), February 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2018/ACOM:31. In preparation. ICES. 2018b. Report of the Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Waters Ecoregion (WGBIE), 3 10 May 2018, ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2018/ACOM: pp. ICES. 2018c. Report of the Working Group on Mixed Fisheries Advice (WGMIXFISH-ADVICE), May 2018, ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2018/ACOM:18. In preparation. ICES Advice