North Sea Herring Fisheries Management Plan

Policy 2: Use the best-available scientific evidence to support management decisions relating to the setting of sustainable fishing opportunities

Rationale

This policy is in accordance with section 3.2 (‘Science and Evidence’) of the JFS.

Scientific evidence is essential for delivering appropriate and sustainable fisheries management. A considerable level of work is carried out at national and international level to ensure that the scientific evidence base is robust and up-to-date.

NSAS herring has a high level of scientific evidence and data in place which already enables fisheries policy authorities to make an MSY assessment for the stock and to take evidence-based decisions in relation to the setting of fishing opportunities, including following an LTMS.

The actions below are focussed on maintaining the current data collection and scientific approach, along with considering longer-term improvements.

Some actions are not specific to the NSAS herring stock but are general actions which underpin the UK’s overall approach to collection and use of scientific data to support fisheries management.

Actions

Ongoing actions

• Continue to participate in ICES working groups to support ongoing data collection and maintenance of the international scientific evidence base that supports the setting of fishing opportunities at sustainable levels.
• Continue to undertake scientific surveys, participate in international stock assessments and contribute to the international advice process.
• Continue to identify possible improvements to available evidence base for NSAS herring.
• Continue to work collaboratively with the Scottish pelagic industry in the Scottish Pelagic Industry-Science Data Collection Programme (SPISDCP), allowing data to be gathered on a haul to haul basis, ensuring that high quality representative data are gathered and submitted to ICES.
• Continue to use the best available evidence to underpin management decisions, implementing the precautionary approach when robust data is not yet available.

Short term actions (one to two years)

• Utilise additional and new data streams, including the use of biological data from the self-sampling scheme of the SPISDCP, and scientific data derived from new technology such as REM.

Relevant Fisheries Act objectives

The relevant Fisheries Act objectives are the:

• sustainability objective
• scientific evidence objective
• precautionary objective