Monitoring fisheries selectivity in EU fish stocks
Contribution to Art. 31 of the Technical Measures Regulation 2019/1241 (TMR)
Article 31 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 (Technical Measures Regulation – TMR) specifies that for the purpose of reporting on the implementation of the TMR a selectivity indicator shall be used for a set of demersal fish stocks specified in Annex XIV of the TMR. In the past, Expert Working Groups of the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF EWGs) have investigated a range of candidate selectivity indicators, as well as their optimal levels in terms of maximizing equilibrium yields. This report synthesized and applied the methodologies developed in these STECF EWGs to monitor the state of fisheries selectivity in 33 EU stocks in 2003-2021. A selectivity indicator expressing the mean selectivity of juveniles was calculated for each stock together with a relevant pilot reference point expressing the indicator’s level associated with the highest equilibrium yield under current fishing mortality. The results indicate a gradual improvement of selectivity in the NE Atlantic over the past 20 years. In 2021, in 12 of the 23 stocks examined more juveniles were selected on average than those corresponding to maximum long-term yield under current F. In the Mediterranean only two out of 10 stocks exhibited sustainable selectivity levels in 2021. Most cod stocks in the NE Atlantic and hake stocks in the Mediterranean exhibited particularly high selection of juveniles. The reliance of the selectivity indicator on stock assessment settings and the caveats related to the estimation of the reference point mean that these findings should be treated with caution.
MANTOPOULOU PALOUKA Danai;
VASILAKOPOULOS Paris;
KUPSCHUS Sven;
GRAS Michael;
WINKER Henning;
HEKIM Zeynep;
PIERUCCI Andrea;
KONRAD Christoph;
2024-02-29
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC137030
978-92-68-12866-4 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 31851 EN,
OP KJ-NA-31-851-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC137030,
10.2760/601822 (online),
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