EU standing request on catch scenarios for zero‑TAC stocks 2023: whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in Division 7.a (Irish Sea). Replacing technical service published in November 2023

Please note: the present technical service replaces the one released in November 2023.

Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in Division 7.a is taken as bycatch, with no targeted fisheries for this stock permitted. The current ICES advice is that when the MSY approach is applied with precautionary considerations, there should be zero catch in each of the years 2024 and 2025 (ICES, 2023a). The mixed-fisheries analysis shows that whiting is caught as a bycatch species by both demersal and, to a lesser degree, pelagic fisheries in the Irish Sea. The EU multiannual plan (MAP) for stocks in Western Waters and adjacent waters (EU, 2019) takes into account the bycatch of this species. There is no agreed shared management plan between the EU and UK for this stock.

This technical service provides one additional scenario based on expected bycatch of status quo fishing effort.

For whiting in Division 7.a:

• 1318 tonnes are estimated to be caught as bycatch if fishing effort continues at status quo levels (average 2020–2022), which would result in a whiting spawning-stock biomass (SSB) of 982 tonnes in 2025.

The status quo effort scenario results in a reduction in whiting SSB in 2025 relative to 2024 (−10%) and an SSB below B_lim (10 000 tonnes) in 2025 with high probability.

Since whiting are caught as bycatch in mixed fisheries, a specific monitoring TAC is not be required for this stock.