HERRING Clupea harengus
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 81 367 tonnes.
Stock development
Fishing pressure on the stock is below HRMGT, HRpa and HRlim. Spawning stock size is above Btrigger, Bpa and Blim.
Herring. Catch by gear type, recruitment, harvest rate based on reference stock biomass (B4+). All biomass reference points refer to SSB levels (MSY Btrigger = MGT Btrigger = Bpa).
Basis of the assessment and reference points
Prospects
Herring. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast.
Herring. Projection of reference biomass and SSB (tonnes) based on harvest control rule.
The advice has changed by -12% due to a change in stock perception.
Quality of the Assessment
Since 2024 the stock is assessed using a catch-at-age based assessment model (SAM) (ICES, 2024). Ichthyophonus infection mortality has been revaluated for the period 2008-2023, resulting in applying lower infection mortality than previously.
Herring. Current assessment (red line) compared with previous estimates (2020–2023). The reference points and assessment were revised in 2024, and only assessment results from the last year should be compared to the reference points indicated.
Other information
Herring. Fishing grounds in fishing season 2023/2024 (t/nmi2).
The herring fishery 2023/2024 took place in offshore waters west and east of Iceland. The total catch amounted to 94 422 tonnes, where 66 396 tonnes were caught west of Iceland mostly in October-January, and 28 022 tonnes in the east in July-November as bycatch in the fishery for Norwegian spring-spawning herring and mackerel. The catch was caught in pelagic trawl.
Infection of Ichthyophonus still persists in the stock, but at lower rates. This is considered in both the assessment and the management plan.
Advice, TAC and Catch
Herring. Recommended TAC, national TAC, and catches (tonnes). Catches represents sum of the winter catches and the summer catches in the preceding fishing year.
References and further reading
MFRI Assessment Reports 2024. Herring. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 7 June 2024.
ICES. 2024. Workshop on the assessment and management plan evaluation for Icelandic herring (WKICEHER). ICES Scientific Reports. 6:37. 91 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25605135