Working Group on Widely Distributed Stocks (WGWIDE)

• Main Authors: Beukhof, Esther D., Bleijenberg, Jasper, Brazier, Aaron, Brunel, Thomas, Burns, Finlay, Campbell, Andrew, Campbell, Neil, Cordier, Axelle, Costas, Gersom, Dubroca, Laurent, Duncan, Roxanne, Egan, Afra, Eliasen, Sólvá K., Farrell, Edward D., Gonçalves, Patricia, Henriksen, Ole, Høines, Åge, Hølleland, Sondre, Homrum, Eydna, Arge Jacobsen, Jan, Jansen, Teunis, Libungan, Lisa Anne, MacLeod, Ellie, Miller, David, Nash, Richard, Nøttestad, Leif, O´Hea , Brendan, Olafsdottir, Anna, Orio, Alessandro, Pardinas, Josu, Pastoors, Martin, Salthaug, Are, Slotte, Aril, Sparrevohn, Claus, Stenevik, Erling Kåre, Tengvall, Jessica, Ulleweit, Jens, Vatnehol, Sindre, Vinther, Morten, Watson, Joseph
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) 2022
• Subjects: /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_below_water; SDG 14 - Life Below Water; North Atlantic; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/aa2d1de8-b1f1-4fd0-94f4-edbda4eaad4a; https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.21088804; https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/files/312451119/01_WGWIDE_2022.pdf

WGWIDE reports on the status and considerations for management of the Northeast Atlantic mackerel, blue whiting, Western and North Sea horse mackerel, Northeast Atlantic boarfish, Norwegian spring-spawning herring, striped red mullet (Subareas 6, 8 and Divisions 7.a-c, e-k and 9.a), and red gurnard (Subareas 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) stocks. 2023 catch advice was drafted for mackerel, Western horse mackerel, blue whiting and herring. For the remainder, multi-annual catch advice was previously published. Benchmark assessments are proposed for 2024 for mackerel, both horse mackerel stocks, herring and striped red mullet with boarfish is scheduled to be benchmarked in 2023. Prior to any benchmark assessment for mackerel, WGWIDE recommends that a workshop to review the latest knowledge with regard to the stock component structure takes place. Northeast Atlantic Mackerel. This migratory stock is widely distributed throughout the Northeast Atlantic with significant fisheries in several ICES subareas. The assessment conducted in 2022 is an update assessment, based on the configuration agreed during the 2019 interbenchmark and incorporates updates to the commercial catch, tagging, swept area and egg survey (preliminary) data series. No recruitment index is available for the 2021 year-class as survey coverage was inadequate. Advice is given based on stock reference points which were updated during a management strategy evaluation carried out in 2020. Following a decline since 2014, SSB has been stable (above MSY Btrigger) since 2019. Fishing mortality has been increasing since 2016 and is above FMSY since 2020. Blue Whiting. This pelagic gadoid is widely distributed in the eastern part of the North Atlantic. The current assessment configuration (inter-benchmark in 2016) uses preliminary catch and sampling data along with the acoustic survey data from the current year. The 2022 update assessment indicates that SSB is increasing following strong recent recruitment and is well above MSY Btrigger. Fishing mortality has been ...