The Ecology and Distribution of European Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in inshore and coastal waters of the U.K. ...

European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a commercially and recreationally important finfish native to the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The species is targeted throughout its range and represents a significant commercial and recreational fishery, which in the UK are estimated to have a v...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stamp, Thomas
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: University of Plymouth 2021
Subjects:
PhD
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.24382/993
https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/bms-theses/324
Description
Summary:European bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) is a commercially and recreationally important finfish native to the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The species is targeted throughout its range and represents a significant commercial and recreational fishery, which in the UK are estimated to have a value of £5-6million at first sale, and £100-200 million per year respectively. In 2010, the International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) reported a dramatic decline in the Northeast Atlantic stock (ICES divisions 4.b–c, 7.a, and 7.d–h), which in 2016 declined below “safe biological limits”. In 2019 ICES reported that the Northeast Atlantic stock increased above Blim, however relative to historic levels the population remains in a highly impoverished state and is still below maximum sustainable yield thresholds. Due to the local economic and social significance of European bass fisheries, the Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&S IFCA) co-funded and co-supervised the ...