JOINT NWWAC and NSAC ADVICE Management measures fr sea bass fr 2019 Backgrund The NWWAC and NSAC rganised a jint Fcus Grup meeting n 21 st August t discuss the COM request n ptential measures t take in 2019 in bth cmmercial and recreatinal fisheries t aid the recvery f seabass stcks (Ares(2018)3121296). The advice presented belw was finalised by crrespndence and apprved by the Executive Cmmittees f the NWWAC and NSAC by written prcedure. The main dcument utlines a cnsensus pinin f the Executive Cmmittees f the NWWAC and NSAC. The Eurpean Anglers Alliance, wh are a member f the NWWAC Executive Cmmittee, d nt supprt the psitin presented belw. Prblem ICES has cnducted analytical assessments f seabass stcks in Divisins 4.b c, 7.a, and 7.d h (central and suthern Nrth Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel, Bristl Channel, and Celtic Sea), which shw that spawning stck bimass (SSB) has been declining since the mid 2000s, whilst fishing mrtality (F) has increased. T aid stck recvery, EU-wide measures have been intrduced since 2015 t reduce explitatin, and nw essentially prhibit directed fishing fr seabass, except with hks and lines. Recreatinal fisheries were restricted t daily bag limits, but in 2018, are nt permitted t retain any seabass. The quality f the 2017 ICES assessment was questined due t the lack f MSY reference pints and lack f data n discard levels and recreatinal catches. Fllwing a request by the COM, ICES cnducted a benchmark assessment n seabass in February 2018. The ACs are f the view that the benchmark assessment better reflects the status f the Nrthern seabass stck (ICES advice, June 2018).
Landing Obligatin The ACs understand that member states and the Cmmissin met earlier in the year t discuss the way frward n seabass in 2019. There was an acknwledgement that as seabass in the Nrth Sea and Nrth Western Waters have been under a prhibitin n catches since 2016, this wuld have implicatins n whether seabass wuld be subject t the landing bligatin in 2019. A number f dergatins frm the prhibitin apply by gear-type, with specific cnditins attached. The ACs share the view that these specific cnditins d nt equate t "catch limits" as defined in the landing bligatin and synnymus with quta limits. It fllws that bass shuld nt be subject t the landing bligatin in 2019. Until this view is cnfirmed by the Cuncil f Ministers, it wuld be wise fr the ACs t cntinue t prvide advice n the implicatins shuld it be decided that seabass is subject t the landing bligatin. Our advice is therefre infrmed accrdingly. The management measures intrduced fr seabass have reprtedly resulted in changes in fishing behaviur t avid catches f bass, but the ACs acknwledge that this is unlikely t be acrss the bard and sme fishers may have nt cmplied with recent regulatins. Despite this, it is believed that the majrity f catches since 2017 have been unavidable bycatches. Industry members have reprted that the stricter measures impsed in 2018 have led t greater levels f seabass discards. ICES assumed discards data suggest a decline ver the last three years, including 2018, but nte that this may be substantially underestimated. Withut further imprved avidance effrts, the situatin is expected t wrsen in 2019 as the strnger 2013 and 2014 year classes recruit t the fishery. Subsequently this may lead t increased catches with the same level f fishing effrt. If the COM were t cnsider the LO shuld apply t seabass, the fllwing prblems shuld be taken int accunt: - Seabass may becme a chke species and prematurely clse many demersal fisheries in the Nrth Western Waters and Nrth Sea targeting ther species. Additinally, as seabass is nt managed under a TAC and quta, certain mitigatin tls are nt available, as they are fr TAC & quta stcks. - If the landing bligatin als applied t the recreatinal fisheries, catches f seabass wuld have t be landed and recrded by recreatinal anglers. - The lng-standing cnservatin measures which ban cmmercial fishing fr seabass in Ireland and are implemented under natinal legislatin wuld cntravene the Landing Obligatin and wuld have t be rescinded as they wuld be incmpatible with Eurpean legislatin. - All catches f seabass will have t be landed and catches exceeding the catch limit may nt be sld fr human cnsumptin, which culd be misunderstd by fishermen and the public. - Whether the LO applies r nt t seabass frm January 2019, it will be imprtant fr fishers and cmmercial buyers t have clear guidance and legal certainty f the rules.
Optins fr mitigating the chke risk f seabass in the fisheries appear t be limited. The ACs cncluded that: Quta flexibilities d nt apply; Interspecies flexibility des nt apply; Research trials 1 and technical develpment wrk have taken place assessing varius gear adaptatins, including the avidance f knwn seabass htspts, which have reprtedly reduced the unwanted catches f seabass. Hwever, the ACs cnsider that further advances in selectivity r further reductin f the bycatch f the magnitude required t mitigate the chke risk, seem unlikely in the near future; Avidance measures n seabass aggregatin have been the main tl t minimise cmmercial catches f seabass. Seabass have a wide distributin and are highly migratry, depending n seasn, water temperature and ppulatin size, which limits the scpe fr using area clsures beynd knwn nursery sites 2, but real time infrmatin, cllated and made available t the fishery, culd enable fishers t mre effectively avid areas in which seabass are aggregating. High survival in sme gears (e.g. hk and line) and de minimis exemptins are unlikely t present a sufficient slutin, in this case; The OIGs nte that the LO applies t all species subject t catch limits in 2019, and bass is subject t catch limits. Hwever, we als recgnise that this bass stck is currently prhibited under the TAC & quta regulatin (EU 2018/120) with landings nly currently permitted under dergatins t this. Whether r nt seabass is exempt frm the LO in 2019, the OIG members believe cncrete measures are needed t imprve selectivity and avidance and remte electrnic mnitring (such as CCTV) shuld be applied acrss all Member States and n all vessels that are identified by cntrl experts (EFCA) as being f medium, high r very high risk f either nncmpliance with the landing bligatin, r nn-cmpliance with requirements t avid prhibited species r stcks such as seabass. 1 Fr Example: Reis, E. G. and Pawsn, M. G., 1992. "Determinatin f gill net selectivity fr bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) using cmmercial catch data". Fisheries Research, 13: 173-187. 2 Pawsn, M. G., Pickett, G. D. and Smith, M. T., 2005. The rle f technical measures in the recvery f the UK seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fishery 1980-2002. Fisheries Research, 76, 91-105.
Prpsal fr cmmercial fisheries Based n the results f the benchmark assessment, which indicates that the stck is n lnger declining, and the F has been reduced t a level belw F MSY due t the management restrictins that have been put in place since 2015, the ACs view is that the ban n directed fishing fr seabass shuld cntinue. Dergatins shuld be put in place fr specific fisheries in 2019. These management measures shuld be accmpanied with additinal measures that aim t imprve avidance f bycatch f seabass cmbined with enhanced mnitring and data cllectin n seabass catches. Based n the bservatin that the ttal catch in 2017 (ttal landings + discards + recreatinal remvals) is f the same vlume as the remval pssibilities recmmended by ICES fr 2019, the ACs prpsal fr 2019 is based n the management measures applied in 2017. Sme flexibilities are included t reduce discards, and take int accunt the real individual catch levels registered in 2017. The table belw utlines prpsed dergatins fr specific fisheries, but it is imprtant t nte that the ttal catch aimed fr shuld be less than 1789 tnnes advised by ICES t accunt fr nn-cmpliance which is likely t ccur in sme fleets as nted in 2016 NSAC advice 3 and reiterated in this advice. The prpsed measures belw shuld als be evaluated by STECF t ensure alignment with the ttal catch aimed fr. Metiers 2017 Measures 2018 Measures 2019 Prpsals Hk and line 10 t/year 5 t/year Min 6.5 t/year Prfessinal fishing nbard Set net 250 kg/mnth 1.2 t/year 3 t/year (i.e. 0.25 t 12) Bttm Trawl net and seine 3 % ttal catch/day 400 kg/mnth 1% ttal catch/day 100 kg/mnth (trawl net) 3% ttal catch/trip 4.8 t/year (i.e. 0.4 t 12) 180 kg/mnth (seine) 3 http://www.nsrac.rg/wp-cntent/uplads/2016/12/3-1617-20161208-sea-bass-mgmt-in-the-n-sea.pdf
The 2019 ACs prpsals fr trawl net and seine metiers are: Lifting the ban n catches in February and March: The unavidable catches d nt cease during this perid. Due t the ban n directed fisheries, this measure is redundant and des nt cntribute t the recvery f the stck; Maintaining individual vessel landing limits, set accrding t a percentage f ttal catch (by weight), t ban any targeted fishing practices. The limit is set n a trip basis, which prvides mre flexibility fr fishermen and is easier t mnitr; Setting, in additin, an annual individual vessel landing limits (by weight), further increasing flexibility and cnsistency, cnsidering the diversity f situatins in the stck area. The 2019 ACs prpsal fr prfessinal hk and line metiers and set net fisheries are: Cntinuatin f the ban n catches in February and March; Maintaining the annualised individual maximum yearly landing restrictins per vessel and verall capacity restrictins and the restrictins n the number f vessels using these gears based n the past catch recrds fr set net, and hk and line metiers. A dergatin fr small-scale cmmercial hk and set net fisheries perating frm the shre has been discussed. The ACs recgnise that there are uncertainties regarding the number f fishermen and metiers invlved, and what level f catch vlume is retained. Given the imprtance f the seabass fishery, the ACs will cntinue discussins n these and ther seabass fisheries and will infrm the Cmmissin f any additinal advice. Data deficiency remains an issue, as highlighted by the ICES benchmark assessment. Initiatives have taken place in different Members States t cllect mre detailed cmmercial catch data. The ACs recmmend that such initiatives shuld be encuraged. The prpsed management measures shuld be accmpanied with additinal measures that aim t imprve avidance f bycatch f seabass cmbined with enhanced data cllectin. A nn-exhaustive list f additinal measures culd be: Similar t the spurdg bycatch prgramme 4, fishermen culd adapt their fishing patterns t avid seabass catches by using a real-time reprting system. By prviding by-catch reprts n a regular timeframe (e.g. daily reprts) n a grid reference system, advisry maps are prduced. Using a traffic-light system t infrm fishers f areas where there is a risk f encuntering this species, fishermen can make better infrmed decisins n their fishing behaviur. 4 Spurdg (picked dgfish) by-catch avidance prgramme, Link
Industry have t supprt and be invlved in scientific prgrams f knwledge acquisitin n the seabass eclgy (CBASS and the EMFF funded fllw-n led by Cefas, BARGIP, BARFRAY 5 ) and n the fllw-up f the stck (NOURDEM 6 ). Prpsal fr recreatinal fisheries In 2017, ICES estimated that the fishing mrtality n seabass due t recreatinal fisheries in 2015 was as high as that due t cmmercial fisheries. ICES had advised that, when the precautinary apprach is applied, there shuld be zer catch (cmmercial and recreatinal) apart frm a daily bag limit f ne-fish fr recreatinal anglers, wh perate catch and release in January t June. At the latest benchmark meeting, the catch data fr recreatinal fisheries have been updated and estimates f mrtality after release were cnsidered t be relatively lw just 5%. The ACs recmmend that catches fr recreatinal fisheries shuld resume and be allwed up t a daily bag limit f 1 fish fr persnal cnsumptin. Cntrl and enfrcement The ACs highlight that regardless f the effrts t restre seabass stck t sustainable levels, effrts t reduce the bycatch f seabass are undermined if there is insufficient cntrl and enfrcement. The latest ICES advice makes a number f assumptins based n full cmpliance with management measures intrduced in recent years, but anecdtal infrmatin suggests full cmpliance is highly unlikely. There remains a strng need fr Member States t further supprt rbust surveillance and enfrcement f seabass fisheries management measures and the need fr 2019 measures and catch limits t factr in a buffer s that the scientifically-advised limit f 1789 tnnes is nt exceeded in practice. 5 BARFRAY: Delimitatin f stcks and spawning-nursery relatinships affecting recruitment. 6 NOURDEM: Annual mnitring f the abundance f seabass juvenile n French nursery (including the estuary f the Seine river)