Advice 2023

The MFRI (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute) has released advice on fishing opportunities for over twenty fish and invertebrate stocks in Icelandic waters in the 2023/2024 quota year.

 

MFRI advises a TAC of 211 309 t of cod for the 2023/2024 fishing year according to the management plan adopted by Icelandic authorities. The advised TAC is a 1% increase from the current fishing year's TAC of 208 846 t. The reason for this increase is a higher estimate of the reference biomass compared to the previous year. The reference biomass of cod is expected to increase slightly in the next two to three years when the 2019 and 2020 cohorts enter fully into the reference biomass as they are estimated to be above average in terms of size.

According to the Icelandic management plan, MFRI advises that the TAC for haddock in 2023/2024 will be 76 415 tonnes which is a 23% increase from the current fishing year's TAC. The reference biomass is expected to increase in the next two years as the 2019 to 2021 cohorts are above average.

The advice for saithe, when the Icelandic management plan is applied, is 66 533 tonnes for the 2023/2024 fishing year, a 7% decrease from current fishing year’s TAC.

Based on the MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield) approach the advised TAC for golden redfish in the East Greenland / Iceland / Faroe Islands area in the 2023/2024 fishing year is 41 286 tonnes, 62% increase from the current fishing year's TAC. The reason for this increase is a revised basis of assessment following an ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) benchmark earlier this year. Nevertheless, recruitment has been very low since 2009, and the spawning stock biomass has decreased in recent years. Therefore, the spawning stock biomass is projected to decline and hence, the advice is likely to decrease sharply in the next years.

For demersal beaked redfish MFRI advises that no catch should be taken in the fishing year 2023/2024 as the stock is now estimated below limit reference point for spawning stock biomass (Blim). The stock is not expected to recover above Blim in the near future.

Advice for Greenland halibut is decreased compared to the previous year, and is now 21 541 tonnes. The change in advice is due to a revision in the assessment methodology following an ICES benchmark earlier this year.

The stock size of the Icelandic summer spawning herring has increased following a period of constant decline in the years 2008–2019. The decline was related to poor recruitment and the persistent infection by a protozoan parasite. The 2017 and 2018 cohorts are estimated to be large and are now the main cohorts of the reference biomass. The advice for the 2023/2024 fishing year, when the Icelandic management plan is applied, is 92 634 tonnes or 40% increase from the previous fishing year's TAC.

 

The following table shows the MFRI advice for the 2023/2024 fishing year.