Beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) in subareas 1 and 2 (Northeast Arctic)

Transcription

1 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Faroes, Greenland Sea, Published 13 June 2017 Icelandic Waters, and Norwegian Sea Ecoregions DOI: /ices.pub.3212 Beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) in subareas 1 and 2 (Northeast Arctic) ICES stock advice ICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied, catches in 2018 should be no more than tonnes. Stock development over time Spawning stock biomass (SSB) increased steadily from 1992 to 2005 and stabilized thereafter. Following a period of low recruitment in , strong year classes have become evident from Since 1997 fishing mortality has been at a relatively low level and has been increasing in the last four years. Figure 1 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Summary of the stock assessment. Stock and exploitation status Table 1 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. State of the stock and fishery relative to reference points. ICES Advice

2 Catch options Table 2 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. The basis for the catch options. Variable Value Source Notes F ages (2017) ICES (2017) F 2017 = F SSB (2018) ICES (2017) In tonnes. R age 2 (2017) ICES (2017) geometric mean (in thousands). Catch (2017) ICES (2017) Corresponding to F 2017 = F 2016 (in tonnes). Table 3 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Annual catch options. All weights are in tonnes. Basis Total catch (2018) F total (2018) SSB (2019) % SSB change * % TAC change ** ICES advice basis Precautionary approach F = F 2017= F Other options F = F 2018 = 1.1 F F 2018 = 1.2 F F 2018 = 0.9 F F 2018 = 0.8 F * SSB 2019 relative to SSB ** Catch in 2018 relative to TAC in 2017 ( t). Basis of the advice Table 4 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. The basis of the advice. Advice basis Precautionary approach. Management plan There is no agreed management plan for this stock. Quality of the assessment The trends in numbers and biomass estimated using the assessment model are believed to be robust; however, the absolute biomass levels are not. These absolute estimates are sensitive to the choice of an appropriate scaling coefficient for the Norwegian Russian ecosystem survey. The survey series used currently in the assessment model does not appropriately cover the geographical distribution of the adult population. Priority should be given to including data from the slope and pelagic surveys, that include older age groups, in future assessments. Age determination is lacking for some surveys and catches in recent years. Year-to-year variations in the weight-at-age of the 19+ group are not biologically grounded and induce spurious variations in SSB. These issues will be addressed during the forthcoming benchmark assessment planned for ICES Advice

3 Figure 2 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Historical assessment results. Issues relevant for the advice Fish over age 19 compose the majority of the catch, but age data are not available for this portion of the stock. This results in the overall estimated biomass level being rather uncertain. Following from a NEAFC/JNRFC request, ICES evaluated harvest control rules for this stock in 2014, with the results from that evaluation suggesting that F0.1 = could be considered as an FMSY proxy (ICES, 2014a). No management plan was subsequently adopted by Norway and Russia. There is no international agreement on the sharing of TAC among countries and between national and international waters, and it is anticipated that the sum of the catches allocated to individual nations will exceed the recommended TAC. Given the uncertainty on the estimated fishable biomass, the lack of agreed reference points, anticipated catches in excess of the recommended TAC, and considering that the assessment will be benchmarked in 2018, the current advice is given for one year only and on a precautionary basis. The advised catches correspond to F = F(2016) = 0.030, which is below F0.1 and can be considered precautionary. The planned benchmark is expected to develop reference points on which future advice for the stock can be based. Reference points There are no reference points for this stock. Basis of the assessment Table 5 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Basis of the assessment and advice. ICES stock data category 1 (ICES, 2016). Assessment type Statistical catch-at-age model. Commercial catches: international landings (tonnes), age frequencies and weight-at-age from catch sampling of the pelagic and demersal fisheries; survey indices: Input data numbers-at-age from BS-NoRu-Q1-Btr, Eco-NoRu-Q3-Btr, Ru-Q4-Btr; annual maturity data from BS-NoRu-Q1-Btr, Eco-NoRu-Q3-Btr, and commercial catch sampling; natural mortalities were fixed at Discards and bycatch Discarding and bycatch are assumed negligible. Indicators Survey-based biomass estimate in the Norwegian Sea (Red-Nor-Q3). Other information Last benchmark was in February 2012 (WKRED; ICES, 2012). Proposed management plans were evaluated in January 2014 (WKREDMP; ICES, 2014b). Next benchmark is scheduled for Working group Arctic Fisheries Working Group (AFWG) ICES Advice

4 Information from stakeholders No information from stakeholders was provided. History of the advice, catch, and management Table 6 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. ICES advice and official landings. All weights are in tonnes. Year ICES advice Predicted catch corresponding to advice Agreed TAC ICES landings 1987 Precautionary TAC 70000* F F 0.1; TAC Status quo F; TAC Status quo F; TAC F at F med; TAC If required, precautionary TAC If required, precautionary TAC If required, precautionary TAC Lowest possible F Catch at lowest possible level Catch at lowest possible level No directed fishery, reduce bycatch No directed fishery, reduce bycatch No directed fishery, bycatch at lowest possible level No directed fishery, bycatch at lowest possible level No directed fishery, bycatch at lowest possible level No directed fishery, bycatch at lowest possible level No directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ** 2005 No directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ** 2006 No directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ** 2007 No directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 20219** 2008 Protection of juveniles, no directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 13095** 2009 Protection of juveniles, no directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 10246** 2010 Protection of juveniles, no directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 11924** 2011 Protection of juveniles, no directed trawl fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 12962** 2012 Protection of juveniles, no directed fishery and low bycatch limits ^ 11059** 2013 F 0.1 < ^ 9474** 2014 Status quo catch < ^^ 18780** 2015 Precautionary approach < # Precautionary approach < # Precautionary approach < # 2018 Precautionary approach < * Includes both Sebastes mentella and S. norvegicus. ** Includes the pelagic catches in the Norwegian Sea outside the EEZ. ^ TAC set by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) for an Olympic fishery in international waters. ^^ Sum of TAC set by NEAFC in international waters and by Norway in the Norwegian Economic Zone. # TAC set by jointly by Norway and Russia. ICES Advice

5 History of the catch and landings Table 7 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Catch distribution by fleet in 2016 as estimated by ICES. Catch (2016) Landings Discards tonnes 21% International waters (pelagic trawl) 79% NEZ and Svalbard (predominalty demersal trawl) Assumed to be negligible tonnes ICES Advice

6 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Faroes, Greenland Sea, Published 13 June 2017 Icelandic Waters, and Norwegian Sea Ecoregions DOI: /ices.pub.3212 Table 8 Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. History of nominal catch for each country participating in the fishery. All weights are in tonnes. Year Denmark Faroe Islands France Germany Greenland Iceland Ireland Latvia Lithuania Norway Poland Portugal Russia Spain (Engl. & Wal.) (Scotl.) ** Total UK UK Can Est Swe Netherl Can EU * ICES Advice

7 * Provisional figures. ** Includes UK (E&W) since ICES Advice

8 ICES Advice on fishing opportunities, catch, and effort Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Faroes, Greenland Sea, Published 13 June 2017 Icelandic Waters, and Norwegian Sea Ecoregions DOI: /ices.pub.3212 Summary of the assessment Table 9 Year Beaked redfish in subareas 1 and 2. Assessment summary. Weights are in tonnes. Recruitment Age 2 High 95% Low 95% SSB High 95% Low 95% Catch F Ages thousands tonnes tonnes year Average Sources and references ICES Report of the Benchmark Workshop on Redfish (WKRED), 1 8 February 2012, ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2012/ACOM: pp. ICES. 2014a. NEAFC/JNRFC request to ICES on evaluation of proposed harvest control rules for Sebastes mentella in Subareas I and II. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, ICES Advice 2014, Book 3, Section pp. ICES. 2014b. Report of the Workshop on Redfish Management Plan Evaluation (WKREDMP), January 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2014/ACOM: pp. ICES Advice basis. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, ICES Advice 2016, Book 1, Section 1.2. ICES Report of the Arctic Fisheries Working Group (AFWG), April 2017, ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark. ICES CM 2017/ACOM: pp. ICES Advice