TUSK Brosme brosme

Advice 2024/2025

5 914

tonnes

Advice 2023/2024

5 139

tonnes

Advice change

15 %

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


Advice

MFRI and ICES advise that when the Icelandic management plan is applied, catches in the fishing year 2024/2025 should be no more than 5 914 tonnes. In addition, continued closure of nursery areas off the southeast and southern coast should be maintained.

Stock development

Fishing pressure is below FMGT, Fpa, and Flim. Spawning-stock size is above MGT Btrigger, Bpa and Blim.

Tusk. Catches in Icelandic waters (by Icelandic and other nations). Shaded areas and error bars show 95% confidence intervals.

Basis of the assessment and reference points

Basis of the advice

Management plan

Management plan

TAC set using the ICES advice rule with a fishing mortality FMGT = 0.23 applied to ages 7 to 10, modified by the ratio SSBy/MGT B~trigger~ when SSBy < MGT B~trigger~. The expected range of realized fishing mortalities (F) following the management plan (FMGT) is between 0.15 and 0.31.

Assessment type

Statistical catch at age model (SAM)

Input data

Age and length data from commercial catches and surveys (IS-SMB, IS-SMH and IS-SMN) and total catches.

Approach

Reference point

Value

Basis

MSY approach

MSY Btrigger

4 800

Based on Bpa

FMSY

0.23

Leads to long-term MSY, based on stochastic simulations (EqSim).

Management plan

MGT Btrigger

4 800

From the management plan

FMGT

0.23

From the management plan

Precautionary approach

Blim

3 400

Lowest SSB (2016) where large recruitment was observed

Bpa

4 800

Blim x e^1.645 * 0.2^

Flim

0.44

Fishing mortality that in stochastic equilibrium will result in median SSB at Blim

Fpa

0.23

Fp05, maximum F at which the probability of SSB falling below Blim is <5%

Horfur

Tusk. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast.

Variable

Value

Notes

Catch (2024)

4 441

Results from Fages–7-10 (2024); in tonnes.

SSB (2025)

8 310

Short-term forecast; in tonnes

Recruitment age 1 (2025)

21 935

Estimated by the model; in thousands

Recruitment age 1 (2026)

19 743

Resampled from the past 10 years of the assessment; in thousands

Fages­7-10 (2024)

0.19

Assuming status quo F (average over the last three years) for 1 January–31 August 2024 and FMGT for 1 September–31 December 2024; tonnes

Tusk. Projection of SSB (tonnes) on catch according to management plans.

Basis

Catch (2024/2025)

Fishing mortality (2024/2025)

SSB (2026)

% SSB change1)

Advice change2)

Management plan

5 914

0.23

9 087

9

15

1) SSB in 2026 relative to SSB in 2025

2) Advice value for 2024/2025 relative to advice value for 2023/2024 (5139 t)

Quality of the assessment

In the evaluation of the management plan (MP) for tusk in Icelandic waters (ICES, 2022a), the basis for assessment was revised and the adopted harvest control rule (HCR) was considered in accordance with the precautionary approach and consistent with the ICES MSY framework. The results of the assessment in 2024 are in line with those in 2023.

Tusk. Current assessment (red line) compared with previous estimates 2020–2023.

Other information

A higher proportion of catches in Subarea 14 have been reported in recent years. If these catches continue, they should be sampled to ensure that data are representative of the full stock. The Greenlandic deep-sea survey has shown the distribution of the species extends from the Icelandic Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and along the continental shelf edge down to 62°00ˈN with an unknown proportion of the stock,

Advice, tac and catch

Tusk. Recommended TAC, national TAC, and catches (tonnes).

Fishing year

Recommended TAC

National TAC

Catches Iceland

Catches other nations

Total catch

2010/2011

6  000

6  000

6  235

1  898

6  235

2011/2012

6  900

6  900

5  983

1  606

5  983

2012/2013

6  700

6  700

5  555

1  314

5  569

2013/2014

6  300

6  300

4  850

487

5  438

2014/2015

4  000

4  000

4  136

1  304

5  440

2015/2016

3  440

3  440

3  221

900

4  121

2016/2017

3  780

3  780

1  689

729

2  418

2017/2018

4  3701)

4  370

2  200

885

3  085

2018/2019

3  7761)

3  776

2  453

778

3  231

2019/2020

3  8561)

3  856

2  460

781

3  241

2020/2021

2  2891)

2  289

2  192

757

2  949

2021/2022

2  1721)

2  172

1  918

503

2  421

2022/2023

4  4642)

4  464

2  420

640

3  060

2023/2024

5  1392)

5  139

2024/2025

5  9142)

1) 13 % harvest control rule

2) FMGT = 0.23

References and further reading

ICES. 2022a. Workshop on the evaluation of assessments and management plans for ling, tusk, plaice and Atlantic wolffish in Icelandic waters (WKICEMP). ICES Scientific Reports. 4:37. 271 pp. http://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.19663971

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