GOLDEN REDFISH Sebastes norvegicus

Advice 2024/2025

46 911

tonnes

Advice 2023/2024

41 286

tonnes

Advice changes

14 %

Note: The advice is for the area East-Greenland / Iceland / the Faroe Islands

Publication of Advice: 7 June 2024. Published by Marine and Freshwater Institute.


Advice

MFRI and ICES advise that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in the fishing year 2024/2025 in the East Greenland / Iceland / Faroe Islands area should be no more than 46 911.

Stock Development

Fishing pressure is below FMSY, Fpa and Flim; spawning-stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Thous. tonnes E a s t G r e e n l a n d F a r o e I s l a n d s I c e l a n d Catches 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Millions R e c r u i t m e n t ( a g e 6 ) F M S Y F l i m F p a 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 F ( a g e s 9 − 19 ) Fishing mortality M S Y B t r i g g e r B p a B l i m 0 100 200 300 400 500 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Thous. tonnes SSB

Golden redfish. Catches by area, recruitment, fishing mortality (ages 9–19), and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Shaded areas and error bars show 95% confidence intervals.

Basis of the assessment and reference points

Prospects

Golden redfish. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast.

Golden redfish. Projection of SSB (tonnes) based on the MSY approach.

The advised catch has increased because the SSB has been revised upwards.

Quality of the assessment

The basis for the advice was revised (ICES 2023). The new assessment model allows for changes in selectivity and growth over time, corresponding to observations, leading to an upward revision of stock biomass and a downward revision of fishing mortality.

Because of the aggregating behaviour of the species, survey indices are often largely dominated by a few large hauls. This causes high uncertainties in the survey indices and large interannual fluctuation in estimates of the biomass index.

F M S Y F p a F l i m B l i m M S Y B t r i g g e r B p a F i s h i n g m o r t a l i t y R e c r u i t m e n t S S B 2012 2016 2020 2024 2012 2016 2020 2024 2012 2016 2020 2024 0 100 200 300 400 0 50 100 150 200 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15

Golden redfish. Current assessment (red line) compared with previous estimates (2020–2023). Final-year recruitment and biomass estimates are included. The reference points were revised in 2023 following a benchmark and only the last assessment results should be compared to the reference points indicated. Prior to the benchmark, recruitment was estimated at age 5.

Other information

Since 2009, surveys of golden redfish have consistently shown very low abundance of small fish (≤30 cm). While current estimates of SSB were revised upwards, they show a decreasing trend since 2017. The assessment also shows historically low levels of incoming cohorts. This raises concerns about the productivity of the stock. Without substantial recruitment, biomass levels will likely continue to decline rapidly leading to decreasing catch advice.

The fishery catching S. mentella and S. norvegicus in East Greenland is managed using a joint TAC. Management measures should be implemented at both species- and stock level.

No formal agreement on the management of S. norvegicus exists among the three coastal states, Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. An agreement exists between Iceland and Greenland since July 2023 on the management of the golden redfish fishery based on the ICES management plan applied in 2023. The agreement is from 2024.

Advice, TAC and catch

Golden redfish. Recommended TAC, national TAC, and catches (tonnes). Note that catch in Icelandic waters is by fishing year whereas catch in other areas and total catch is by calendar year.

References and further reading

ICES. 2023a. Benchmark workshop on Greenland halibut and redfish stocks (WKBNORTH). ICES Scientific Reports. 5:33.

MFRI Assessment Reports 2024. Golden redfish. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 7 June 2024.