Indicator description
This indicator shows the percentage of fish stocks in seas
around the UK that are both harvested sustainably and are at full
reproductive capacity. This is based on a group of 16
indicator for which there are reliable estimates of fishing
mortality and spawning biomass and which together represent fish
stocks of major importance to the UK fishing
industry.
The proportion of the assessed fish stocks harvested sustainably
and at full reproductive capacity varied between zero per cent and
20 per cent in the period 1990 to 2000. In 2000 it was 19 per cent,
and the three-year average of the 1999 to 2001 period was 13 per
cent. In 2009 it was 38 per cent. The assessment of change for the
indicator is therefore positive in both the long and short
term.
Despite this improvement over time, the majority of UK fish stocks
have either been below full reproductive capacity or have been
harvested unsustainably each year since 2001.
Relevance
Fish are an integral component of marine biodiversity. They
are an important element of the food chain for seabirds, seals and
cetaceans and are a source of food and employment for people.
Sustainable fisheries will help to ensure our marine ecosystems
remain diverse and resilient and provide a long-term and viable
fishing industry.
The long and short term assessments both indicate an increase in
the percentage of fish stocks which are at full reproductive
capacity and being harvested sustainably, with a marked improvement
since 2000. However, substantial further improvements in stock
status would be needed to ensure that all UK fish stocks are fished
sustainably. In 2004, the Royal Commission on Environmental
Pollution advised significant and urgent action to avoid further
collapse of fisheries or harm to the marine environment.
In 2009, the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill received
Royal Assent. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 will
ensure clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse
oceans and seas, by putting in place better systems for delivering
sustainable development of marine and coastal environment.
Background
This UK indicator takes into account nine species in 16 UK
stocks for which there are estimates of fishing mortality and
spawning stock biomass throughout the period 1990 to 2009. Each
stock refers to a population of a species occurring in a defined
sea area, and a particular species may occur in multiple stocks in
waters around the UK. Table 9(i) shows the fish species included in
this measure (note the species included are the same as in the
previous assessment but the number of stocks has reduced from 18 to
16 in 2009).
The indicator only uses stocks for which the International Council
for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is able to present an analytical
assessment with data from 1990 to the present time. The only
exception is Rockall haddock for which there were no data for 1990
(there are therefore only 15 stocks in 1990).
ICES classifies a stock’s status by comparing the quantity of
mature fish (the spawning stock biomass) and the rate at which the
stock is exploited, in relation to agreed reference levels. The
stock trends and reference levels are obtained from fishery and
survey data from each zone. Spawning stock biomass is categorised
as either at full reproductive capacity, being at risk of suffering
reduced reproductive capacity or suffering reduced reproductive
capacity. Rate of fishing mortality is categorised as harvested
sustainably, at risk of being harvested unsustainably or harvested
unsustainably. The UK indicator shows the proportion of the 16
stocks that are at full reproductive capacity and harvested
sustainably in each year.
Each year ICES updates the assessment of each stock with another
year of fishery and survey data, or may revise an assessment to
include new time-series of data or adopt an improved method of
analysis. This can result in significant changes to the trends in
spawning stock biomass and rate of exploitation, causing changes to
the historical values in the UK indicator series. On the basis of
new evidence, ICES may also provide advice on stocks for which the
assessments were previously considered unreliable, or stop
providing advice for stocks for which the assessments are no longer
considered reliable. For example, ICES stopped providing advice on
stock status in relation to precautionary reference points for
Celtic Sea cod and western Channel sole in 2009 and Irish Sea
plaice and northern hake in 2010, and now provides only general
trends where data are adequate. These stocks have been removed from
the UK indicator, reducing the number of stocks from 20 to 18 in
the 2010 publication and 16 in the current indicator. The stocks
removed in 2010 were both previously harvested sustainably and at
full reproductive capacity, and so there is a marked change in the
percentage of sustainable fisheries reported for recent years when
compared with last year’s publication.
Table 9 (i). Fish species included in this indicator
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Clupea harengus (herring)
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Micromesistius poutassou (blue whiting)
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Gadus morhua (cod)
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Pleuronectes platessa (plaice)
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Melanogrammus aeglefinus (haddock)
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Pollachius virens (saithe)
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Solea solea (sole)
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Scomber scombrus (mackerel)
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Source: International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Advisory Committee on Fisheries Management reports; Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS).
References
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2004) Turning the
Tide: Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment.
London, the Stationary Office.
Web links for further information
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Reference
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Report Title
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Website
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Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Science
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Sustainable Fisheries Management
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International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
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Fisheries Statistics
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