Proposed North Sea and West of Scotland Megrim Fisheries Management Plan

Background

Stock

Northern Shelf megrim are large, benthic, left-eye flatfish that are widely distributed along the continental shelf edge from the northern North Sea to northern Ireland, and (as a separate stock) across the Rockall Bank (see Figure 2). There are also additional populations along the coast of Norway, and further south along the French, Iberian and North Africa Atlantic coasts. Megrim are found at depths between 100 m and 700 m, but are known to grow more slowly with increasing depth. They prefer sandy or muddy habitat, and predate on small fish, squid and crustaceans. They are in turn preyed upon by larger marine species such as sharks, seals and cod.

Northern Shelf megrim covered by this FMP are assumed to exist in two separate stocks for the purposes of assessment and advice: the North Sea and West of Scotland stock (4.a and 6.a), and the Rockall stock (6.b). This differentiation has been made on the basis of significantly different growth parameters and population age structure between the two areas, but it is not clear if they are reproductively isolated.

Fishing methods vary between countries, with the UK and international fleets using predominantly trawls. The figures within this FMP primarily focus on UK fishing vessels, as these are the vessels for which we have accurate data. This is explained further in the fishery section below.

Location

The biological stocks are found in ICES areas 4 (North Sea) and 6.a (West of Scotland), along with 6.b (Rockall). For management purposes, there are two separate TAC areas, denoted by ICES codes LEZ/2AC4-C and LEZ/56-14. LEZ/2AC4-C (North Sea) includes the UK waters of area 2.a, while LEZ/56-14 (West of Scotland and Rockall) includes UK and international waters of ICES areas 5.b and 14. This FMP is only intended to apply to fishing activity in the North Sea, Rockall and the West of Scotland (ICES areas 4.a, 6.a and 6.b) UK waters, although in some cases (for example, in relation to our approach to international negotiations with other countries) actions may apply more broadly to the wider biological stock.

The below figures show the location of the ICES areas 4 and 6, along with the known distribution of the Northern Shelf megrim stocks within these areas, according to the latest available survey data.

Just over two thirds of Northern Shelf megrim caught in UK waters are caught in ICES area 4.a with the remainder (just under one third) caught in area 6.a.

Figure 1: Map of ICES areas. Those areas covered by this FMP are shown in yellow. This FMP covers the Northern Shelf megrim fishery in UK waters only.

Figure 2. Distribution of megrim biomass from hauls of the Scottish Irish Anglerfish and Megrim Industry Science Survey (SIAMISS) for 2021 and 2022. Note that the survey in 2022 did not include the Rockall area. Source: ICES (2023).

Fishery

The Northern Shelf and West of Scotland megrim is typically caught by demersal vessels that operate in the Northern Shelf. Fishing for Northern Shelf megrim in UK waters takes place as part of a mixed fishery, meaning that Northern Shelf megrim is caught alongside other fish stocks. Vessels targeting this fishery will also target monkfish with bycatches of haddock and whiting (these stocks are subject to separate FMPs). This could include bycatches of witch if fishing on a sandy bottom. There are many shared characteristics between these whitefish stocks, and similarities in where and how they are fished. When considering management action for Northern Shelf megrim as part of this FMP, and in wider management considerations such as the setting of fishing opportunities, fisheries policy authorities consider the role of Northern Shelf megrim in the wider marine ecosystem. Many of the issues that are considered as part of this FMP are applicable across demersal whitefish fisheries, and therefore the actions required are often not specific to one particular stock or fishery.

It is important to note that the figures provided in this section are based on the latest available data, which is up to 2022. Whilst this section provides a snapshot of the fishery at this time, it will not reflect any more recent changes in the fishery.

On average, 95% of all the Northern Shelf megrim is caught by the demersal targeting fleet, with 4% caught by the shellfish targeting fleet and 2% on average caught by the mixed fleet. The share caught by the shellfish targeting fleet suggests that megrim is a low bycatch species.

Analysis of the UK fishing fleet catching the Northern Shelf megrim shows that around 64% of the total megrim catch is caught in ICES are 4.a, with 28% caught in area 6.a, and 8% caught in area 6.b. Between 2015 and 2021, the UK fleet accounted for an average of 64% of the megrim catch, with the remaining 36% caught by the non-UK fleet, with some annual fluctuation. Within the non-UK fleet, the key players are Ireland, catching an average of 17%, and Spain, catching an average of 11%. Of the 2022 UK fleet catch in these areas, 97% was landed by Scottish-registered vessels, with 2% landed by the English fleet and a negligible amount landed by the Northern Irish fleet.

Analysis of UK fisheries data shows that the majority (95%) of Northern Shelf megrim is typically caught by demersal trawls, with the remaining catch landed via seine nets.

Table – The Northern Shelf megrim caught by gear type used, for the UK fleet.

* Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding

The landed value of the Northern Shelf megrim steadily increased from £4.3 million in 2015 to £8.4 million in 2020. Since then, landed value has decreased to £6.4 million in 2022. This was primarily caused by a significant dip in the tonnage landed, with 2022 recording 1,900 tonnes landed, a reduction from the 2,600 tonne average between 2018 and 2021. This reduction in landed value is also despite a price per tonne (PPT) increase to a period high of £3,400 in 2022, after a slight dip to £2,800 in 2021. The average PPT has hovered around £3,000 between 2017 and 2021, having increased from £2,400 in 2015.

The majority of the Northern Shelf megrim caught by the UK fleet, between 2015 and 2022, was landed into the UK (99%), with only 1% being landed outwith the UK. Within the UK, the major landing districts for megrim were the North and North East of Scotland, and Shetland. Shetland accounted for 36% of the megrim tonnage landed, whilst Wick, Peterhead and Kinlochbervie accounted for 18%, 17% and 14% respectively. Northern Shelf megrim typically represents a small portion of the value for the main ports into which it is landed. Lerwick, which landed 24% of the total megrim value between 2015 and 2022, saw the species account for only 3% of the ports total value. Other ports follow similar trends: megrim totalled only 4% of Scrabster’s total landed value whilst Peterhead saw the species contribute only 1% of the port’s value. The exception to this trend is Cullivoe, in Shetland, for which megrim accounted for 13% of the port’s value.

The Northern Shelf megrim is, altogether, not a significant stock for most of the fleet groups that target the species. For the Northern Shelf demersal under 24m under 300kW fleet, megrim represented 7% of the fleet’s total landed value; for all other fleets megrim does not represent a significant source of value (5% or less of the fleet’s landed value). The exception is the Northern Shelf demersal under 24m over 300kW fleet, for whom megrim made up 11% of the fleet’s landed value between 2015 and 2022. This fleet accounted for 179 full time equivalent (FTE) in 2022^[5], and whilst the proportion derived from megrim fishing efforts is unknown, the species contributes towards a significant portion of this fleet’s employment.

Fishing vessels usually target different stocks at different times of year, but because of the mixed nature of the fishery, it is too difficult to separate out the precise differences between vessels and the whitefish they catch, beyond the figures and detail provided within the FMP.