North Sea Greater Silver Smelt Fisheries Management Plan

Executive Summary

The North Sea greater silver smelt Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) is one of 43 FMPs set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). It has been developed by the Scottish Government and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) with input from industry, scientists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs).

This FMP sets out the policies and actions to manage the North Sea greater silver smelt (GSS) stocks at sustainable levels, ensuring that they can continue to play a key ecological role as both a predator and prey in the marine food web whilst also setting out a number of actions to improve management where this is needed.

Historically, the North Sea GSS (Argentina silus, also known as greater Argentine) was fished for its high oil content, which made it valuable for fishmeal production. In the North Sea (ICES Division 3.a and Subarea 4) GSS is a bycatch in fisheries and a targeted fishery is primarily conducted by licensed Norwegian midwater and bottom trawlers in Division 2.a. In addition to the target fisheries in Division 2.a, trawl fisheries for other species along the Norwegian Deep in Division 4.a (northern North Sea) result in variable but sometimes significant landed bycatch of GSS. Based on available data, these are dominated by Norwegian catches in Norwegian waters from 2006 onwards.

North Sea GSS is jointly managed by the UK and EU. Although this is not a fishery of direct commercial interest to the UK currently, the UK has a wider interest in the stock as a bycatch in other fisheries, and as a part of the North Sea ecosystem.

Sufficient evidence is available for the relevant fisheries policy authorities to make an assessment of MSY, and North Sea GSS is currently fished within sustainable limits.

This FMP therefore describes a vision with policies and actions which set out how management can continue to support an MSY approach for the North Sea GSS fishery, and highlights areas that could lead to refinements of management approaches in the future. Areas for action include those which support the wider delivery of policies within the JFS and which contribute to the delivery of the objectives contained within the 2020 Act.