HERRING IN GOOD CONDITION, COD HAVE MIXED FORTUNES, EELS SLIPPING AWAY AND A PUSH FOR LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT

Cod stocks such as Northeast Arctic and Icelandic stocks are being fished too hard - although they are currently at acceptable levels. Other cod stocks such as Faroese and Baltic cod are at low levels and need a reduction in fishing effort, while Norwegian coastal cod and Kattegat cod are now at very low levels and need serious reductions in fishing effort. The report will also advise the closure of the European eel fishery. The eel stock has declined since 1980 and is now at it’s lowest ever level.

ICES has also produced fast-track guidance on the poor status of anchovy stocks in the Bay of Biscay. Preliminary surveys in 2005 strongly suggest that recruitment of young fish to the anchovy stock has been very poor. Based on this evidence, ICES has advised that the fishery should be closed immediately, until there is reliable evidence that the stock is improving.

Herring

The herring stocks off the west coast of Scotland and in the North Sea are being harvested sustainably and in good condition. A caveat, however, is that the number of new fish entering the North Sea stock has been low for the past three years and that future reductions in fishing pressure will be needed if the situation does not improve.

Poul Degnbol, Chair of the ICES ACFM Committee, which advises on fish stocks, said today “The North Sea herring stock has had a bumpy ride until recent years, when it was brought under an international management plan. This seems to be working well and I am confident that managers will adapt to any future decline in this stock”.

Cod stocks

The Northeast Arctic is in good condition, although scientists will warn that poor enforcement of the management plan for the stock has meant that it is being fished above the level it should be. Further west, Icelandic cod is at an acceptable level but ICES will advise that fishing pressure should be reduced to get a better return from the stock.

The main Faroese cod stock (Faroese Plateau cod) is currently being fished too hard and the spawning stock is now thought to be nearly as low as it was in 1990 - when it collapsed. ICES will advise a minimum of a 50% reduction in fishing effort. There is less information about the smaller Faroes Bank cod stock, but the latest survey indicates that there has been a decline in biomass since 2002 suggesting that the present fishing rate may not be sustainable.

Baltic cod is at low levels and being harvested unsustainably. To try and rebuild the stock, IBSFC (International Baltic Sea Fishery Commission) has adopted a long-term management strategy that ICES believes would be in-line with the precautionary approach - if non-reported landings were effectively dealt with.

Cod in the Kattegat are at very low levels and the available information indicates that recruitment of new fish to the stock has been very low for the past five years. ICES will advise that any fishing will involve further depletion of the stock, so there should no fishing in 2006.

Along the Norwegian coast, the coastal cod stock is also in poor condition and has now fallen to an all time low. ICES will advise that fishing pressure is far too high and needs to be reduced.

Eels

The European eel stock reached a historical low in 2001 and has since failed to recover - if anything scientists think it may have declined further. Eels are caught in all life stages present in continental waters and pressure is high both on juvenile (glass eel) and older eel (yellow and silver eel).

David Griffith, General Secretary of ICES said today” We have been concerned about the decline in the eel stock for a number of years and things do not seem to be improving. We know that fishing is one of the biggest impacts on eels but they have also been hit by habitat loss, pollution and disease.

To give the eel stock some breathing space, we have recommended that fishing and other impacts should be reduced to as close to zero as possible until an international recovery plan can be developed for the whole stock. But there are no quick solutions and because of the length of the eel life cycle it is likely to be 5-20 years before an improvement can be expected”.

Long-term management

To avoid the short-term manner in which many European fish stocks are sometimes managed, there is now an increasing momentum to develop long-term management plans which will lead to healthier stocks. Over the past 10 years, ICES has advised on long-term management schemes which have helped rebuild the North Sea herring stock and also Baltic salmon.

Poul Degnbol, Chair of the ICES ACFM Committee, which advises on fish stocks, said today “We are now doing the groundwork to develop long-term plans for important stocks such as North Sea cod and plaice, Northeast Arctic cod and Baltic cod. Long-term plans and lower fishing pressure have to be the future”.