West of Scotland Greater Silver Smelt Fisheries Management Plan

Background

Stock

The greater silver smelt (also known as greater or Atlantic Argentine, herring smelt or simply smelt) is a long-lived fish found around the sub-Arctic rim of the North Atlantic.

ICES assesses greater silver smelt in areas 5.b and 6.a. The stock unit was originally defined based on historical and present fishing patterns. Surveys have observed spawning occurring throughout the year, and there does not appear to be a specific spawning season. Maturity occurs slowly, and the stock is 50% mature on average at age 6 (females) or 8 (males). GSS in this area are also considered to be relatively sedentary, and do not undertake significant migrations. (ICES WGDEEP^[5], 2026)

The GSS can reach a maximum length of around 60-70 cm and are generally found in deeper water (between 140 m and 1440 m). It is therefore more accurately described as a semi-pelagic, benthopelagic or bathypelagic species. There seems to be a gradient in body size with depth for this stock. The main nursery area seems to be the shallower areas of the Faroese shelf, as juveniles are found here. As the juveniles grow, they seek deeper waters as the larger and older adults are found in the deeper grounds surrounding the shelf. (Bergstad, 1993^[6])

The species is an opportunistic predator that feeds largely on zooplankton and small marine species. Its diet commonly includes copepods, euphausiids, amphipods, mysid shrimps and small fish. Juveniles largely consume smaller planktonic organisms, while larger adults predate on larger crustaceans and other marine fish. Feeding behaviour may vary with depth, season and prey availability. (Bergstad, 1993; ICES 2024^[7])

Within the marine food web, GSS are considered to occupy the mid-level as by feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish species this links the lower trophic levels to larger predators. Importantly GSS in areas 5.b and 6.a act as prey for commercially and ecologically important species including larger fish (such as Atlantic cod, Greenland halibut and deep-water sharks) and marine mammals. Therefore, the intermediate position that GSS inhabits in the marine foodweb makes it an important link in the movement of energy through deep-sea ecosystems. (Bergstad, 1993; ICES 2024)

The harvesting of GSS in Divisions 5.b and 6.a by commercial fisheries make sustainable management essential to prevent overexploitation. Protecting healthy populations of GSS supports biodiversity and contributes to the stability of the deep-sea food web.

The stock is currently assessed as being fished within safe biological limits. The 2026 ICES advice indicated that fishing pressure on the stock is below F_MSY, and the spawning-stock size is above MSY B_trigger, B_pa and B_lim.

Location

The biological stock is found in ICES areas 6.a (West Coast of Scotland) and 5.b (Faroes Grounds). For management purposes, there is one Total Allowable Catch (TAC) area, denoted by ICES code ARU/567.

The below figures show the location of the ICES areas, along with the known distribution of the stock within areas 5.b and 6.b, according to the latest available survey data.

Fishery

The fishery for West of Scotland GSS is largely undertaken by non-UK vessels and is based in ICES Division 5.b and 6.a, where the species is caught as part of an industrial targeted fishery by EU vessels.

Historically there was a targeted pelagic fishery by UK vessels. However, in recent years, there has been limited activity in the West of Scotland GSS fishery by UK vessels, with only 51 tonnes caught as bycatch since 2018, and no recorded catch in the years 2023 or 2024. There are occasional bycatches from the UK’s demersal over-24 metre fleet, though these are small in number.

Analysis of UK fisheries data shows that, in the years West of Scotland GSS has been caught, almost all of the tonnage from the UK fleet was from ICES area 6.a, wholly landed by the pelagic-targeting fleet. The primary landing destinations for the UK fleet were outside of the UK, with the fleet having 94% of their landings in the Netherlands, and Denmark seeing the remaining 6%. Over 99% of the stock was caught using trawls in the years catches were recorded.

The tonnage and value landed for this stock by UK vessels are typically minimal, and there is insufficient data to give an accurate representation of the prices and value landed between 2018 and 2024. Given the small volume of tonnages involved, and the fact that the pelagic over 40m is the primary Seafish fleet segment catching this stock, it is not expected that this stock is of significant importance to the UK fleet.^[8]

In contrast, EU vessels have been catching West of Scotland GSS over recent years. Between 2013 and 2023, EU vessels have landed an average of approximately 4,500 tonnes of GSS per year, with an average value of £2 million per year. West of Scotland GSS fishing activity is substantially more important to EU vessels than it is to the UK fleet.

Source: STECF FDI24 data call spatial landings dataset, estimates processed by MMO Statistics and Analysis team