Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak (WGNSSK)

• Main Author: ICES
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ICES 2022
• Subjects: Turbot
• Online Access: https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00794/90615/96176.pdf; https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.19786285; https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00794/90615/

The main terms of reference for the The ICES Working Group for the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak (WGNSSK) were: to update, quality check and report relevant data for the working group, to update and audit the assessment and forecasts of the stocks, to produce a first draft of the advice on the fish stocks and to prepare planning for bench-marks in future years. Ecosystem changes have been analytically considered in the assessments for cod, haddock and whiting in the form of varying natural mortalities estimated by the ICES Working Group on Multi Species Assessment Methods (WGSAM). Benchmarks in 2021/2022 Full benchmarks were conducted during 2022 for WGNSSK stocks. These were on haddock in Subarea 4, Division 6.a and Subdivision 20 and plaice in Subarea 4 and Subdivision 20. There is an inter-benchmark protocol (IBP) meeting planned during 2022, for sole in Division 7.d to in-clude a change to SAM settings allowing for variability in survey catchability over time. State of the Stocks The main impression in recent years is that fishing pressure has been reduced substantially for many North Sea stocks of roundfish and flatfish compared to the beginning of the century. All fish stocks with agreed reference points (Category 1 stocks) are above Blim, apart from cod in Subarea 4, Division 7.d and Subdivision 20. The SSBs of cod in Subarea 4, Division 7.d and Sub-division 20, sole in Subarea 4, and saithe in Division 3.a, Subareas 4 and 6 are below MSY Btrigger at the beginning of 2022. Also, the SSB of witch in Division 3.a, Subarea 4, Division 7.d, estimated in the middle of the year (at spawning time) 2021 is below MSY Btrigger. Several North Sea stocks are exploited at or below FMSY levels (cod in Subarea 4, Division 7.d and Subdivision 20, haddock in Subarea 4, Division 6.a and Subdivision 20, plaice in Subarea 4 and Subdivision 20, sole in Subarea 4, turbot in Subarea 4, whiting in Subarea 4 and Division 7.d); however, several others are being fished above FMSY (saithe in Division ...