West of Scotland Greater Silver Smelt Fisheries Management Plan

Glossary

Biomass - The total weight of a fish stock or population in a particular area.

Bpa - Precautionary Biomass Reference Point

Btrigger - The spawning stock biomass reference point used within the MSY framework that triggers management caution when stock size falls below it.

Bycatch - Non-target fish or other marine species that are caught during fishing operations.

Coastal State - A country with rights and responsibilities for managing marine resources in waters under its jurisdiction.

Deep-water species - Species that primarily inhabit deeper marine waters, often below the continental shelf.

Ecosystem-based fisheries management - An approach to fisheries management that considers the wider marine ecosystem, including predator-prey relationships and environmental impacts.

Evidence-based management - Management decisions informed by the best available scientific, economic and stakeholder evidence.

Fishing mortality - The proportion of a fish stock removed through fishing activity.

Fisheries Act Objectives - Statutory objectives in the Fisheries Act 2020 that guide fisheries management, including sustainability, ecosystem, precautionary, scientific evidence, bycatch and climate change objectives.

Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) - A statutory plan prepared under the Fisheries Act 2020 that sets out policies and actions to restore or maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels.

Good Environmental Status (GES) - The environmental condition that the UK Marine Strategy seeks to achieve for marine waters.

Greater Silver Smelt (Argentina silus) - A long-lived deep-water fish species found across the North Atlantic and managed under this FMP.

Harvest Control – Fisheries Management measures, such as TACs and quotas, used to regulate fishing pressure on a stock.

ICES Stock Assessment - A scientific evaluation undertaken by ICES to determine stock status and provide fisheries management advice.

Landing Obligation - A regulatory requirement under EU Common Fisheries Policy that catches of quota species must generally be landed and counted against quota, subject to exemptions.

Marine Protected Area (MPA) - A designated area where management measures are used to protect marine habitats, species or ecosystem features.

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) -The highest long-term average catch that can be taken from a stock without compromising its future productivity.

Precautionary Approach - A management approach that takes action to prevent harm even where scientific uncertainty exists.

Priority Marine Feature (PMF) - Marine species, habitats or geological features identified as conservation priorities in Scottish waters.

Quota - A share of a TAC allocated to a country, administration, licence holder or vessel.

Recruitment - The process by which young fish survive and enter the fishable stock.

Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) - A system using cameras and sensors on fishing vessels to collect information on fishing activity and catches.

Shared Stock - A fish stock occurring in waters managed by more than one country or fisheries authority.

Spawning Stock Biomass -The total weight of mature fish capable of reproducing.

Sustainability Objective - The Fisheries Act 2020 objective requiring exploitation of fish stocks to be environmentally sustainable in the long term.

Total Allowable Catch (TAC) - The maximum quantity of a fish stock that can be caught in a specified period, usually one year.

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) - Satellite-based technology used to track fishing vessel location and activity.