Proposed Northern Shelf Hake Fisheries Management Plan
The Northern Shelf hake FMP is one of 43 UK FMPs set out in the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). It sets out the policies and actions to continue to maintain the relevant stock at sustainable levels providing positive socio-economic benefits to the UK.
Stock Assessment and MSY
Scientific Advice
The following evidence has been collated from the most recent ICES assessment working group report (ICES 2024)[7] and the associated ICES stock annex[8].
As set out in Section 3.2 of the JFS, the UK takes an evidence-based approach to fisheries management, making use of the best available scientific evidence. For the purpose of stock management and TAC setting, this tends to focus on the use of advice produced by ICES, although other sources of information, including data from the fishing industry, may also be used.
The Northern hake assessment is produced annually by the ICES Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Waters Ecoregion (WGBIE). ICES advice is organised according to categories, ranging from 1 (the most information available) to 6 (the least). Hake is a Category 1 stock which means that it is considered to have full age- and size-structured data on which to base an assessment, and that MSY reference points are available to provide a framework for management action.
Benchmark exercises are a tool used by ICES to peer-review and incorporate new science or evidence into the stock assessment process. They are part of the process which ensures that ICES advice is based on the best available scientific evidence. The stock was the subject of an ICES benchmark assessment in 2022. The EU MAP has not been adopted by Norway and the UK, and so there is no internationally agreed management plan. In this situation, ICES advice is based on the MSY approach.
Assessment of evidence
As set out above, Northern Shelf hake is a stock that has a high level of data available. On this basis, there is sufficient available scientific evidence for the relevant fisheries policy authorities to make annual MSY assessments of the Northern Shelf hake stock.
Hake fisheries covered by this FMP are currently above MSY biomass reference points. Catches of hake reached an historical peak in 2016 and have since declined following a period of reduced recruitment, although catches are still above the long-term average. Estimated fishing mortality has been below FMSY since the late 2010s, and spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been well above the MSY Btrigger point during the same period (although with a decline since 2016, commensurate with falling catches).
Contact
Email: FMPs@gov.scot