Atlantic wolffish Anarhichas lupus

Advice 2024/2025

9 378

tonnes

Advice 2023/2024

8 344

tonnes

Advice change

12 %

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 9 378 tonnes. In addition, the MFRI recommends a continued closure of the spawning area west of Iceland during the spawning and incubation season in autumn and winter.

Stock development

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

Atlantic wolffish. Catch by gear type, recruitment (age 4), fishing mortality (ages 10–15), and spawning stock biomass (SSB). 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 = 0.2 applied to ages 10–15 modified by the ratio SSBy/MGT Btrigger when SSBy < MGT Btrigger

Assessment type

Statistical catch at age model (SAM)

Input data

Catch in numbers and age disaggregated survey indices (IS-SMB)

Approach

Reference point

Value

Basis

MSY approach

MSY Btrigger

21 000

Bpa

FMSY

0.2

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

Management plan

MGT Btrigger

21 000

Management plan

FMGT

0.2

Management plan

Precautionary approach

Blim

18 500

Blim x e1.645 * σB where σB=0.07

Bpa

21 000

Bloss (SSB in 2002)

Flim

0.33

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

Fpa

0.2

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

Prospects

Atlantic wolffish. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast.

Variable

Value

Notes

Catch (2024)

8 353

Results from Fages–10-15 (2024); in tonnes.

SSB (2025)

35 781

Short-term forecast; in tonnes

Recruitment age 4 (2025)

14 648

Estimated by the model; in thousands

Recruitment age 4 (2026)

14 648

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

Fages­10-15 (2024)

0.2

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

Atlantic wolffish. Projection of SSB based on catch according to the management plan. All weights are in tonnes.

Basis

Catch (2024/2025)

Fishing mortality (2024/2025)

SSB (2026)

% SSB change1)

Advice change2)

Management plan

9 378

0.3

37 288

4

12

1) SSB in 2026 relative to SSB in 2025

2) Advice value for 2024/2025 relative to advice value for 2023/2024 (8344 t)

Quality of the assessment

In the evaluation of the management plan (MP) for Atlantic wolffish in Icelandic waters (ICES, 2022a), the basis for assessment was revised and the adopted harvest control rule (HCR) was considered to be in accordance with the precautionary approach and consistent with the ICES MSY framework. Current assessment results are in line with previous years.

Atlantic wolffish. Current assessment (red line) compared with previous estimates (2022–2023).

Advice, TAC and Catch

Atlantic wolffish.. Recommended TAC, national TAC, and catches (tonnes).

Fishing year

Recommended TAC

National TAC

Total catch

1998/1999

13  000

13  000

13  139

1999/2000

13  000

13  000

14  913

2000/2001

13  000

13  000

18  083

2001/2002

13  000

16  100

13  681

2002/2003

15  000

15  000

16  943

2003/2004

15  000

15  000

13  255

2004/2005

13  000

16  000

14  201

2005/2006

13  000

13  000

16  461

2006/2007

12  000

13  000

15  817

2007/2008

11  000

12  500

15  098

2008/2009

12  000

13  000

15  429

2009/2010

10  000

12  000

13  091

2010/2011

8  500

12  000

12  078

2011/2012

7  500

10  500

10  582

2012/2013

7  500

8  500

8  940

2013/2014

7  500

7  500

7  530

2014/2015

7  500

7  500

7  862

2015/2016

8  200

8  200

8  982

2016/2017

8  811

8  811

7  542

2017/2018

8  540

8  540

9  553

2018/2019

9  020

9  020

9  355

2019/2020

8  344

8  344

7  166

2020/2021

8  761

8  761

8  974

2021/2022

8  933

8  933

8  562

2022/2023

8  107

8  107

8  733

2023/2024

8  344

8  344

2024/2025

9  378

References and further reading

ICES. 2022a. Iceland request for evaluation of a harvest control rule for Atlantic wolffish in Icelandic waters. In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2022. ICES Advice 2022, sr.2022.6a. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.19625679

ICES. 2022b. 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. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.19663971

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