Northwestern Working Group (NWWG)

The ecosystem overview for the Icelandic Ecoregion was published in 2017. Ecosystem overviews for Greenland and Faroese ecoregion scheduled to be published in 2020. Fisheries overview for the Icelandic ecoregion is scheduled to be published in 2019.

Two stocks in Icelandic waters, haddock (had.27.5a) and saithe (pok.27.5a), underwent a benchmark in March 2019 (WKICEMSE 2019). For haddock, the assessment model was changed to a catch-at-age model from an ADAPT type model. Furthermore, the harvest rate target (0.4) applied by the HCR in the period between 2013 and 2018 was estimated to be no longer precautionary while a rate of 0.35 was in-line with both the precautionary and ICES’ MSY approach. For saithe, no changes were made in the assessment setup. The current management plan was evaluated was also evaluated and a minor change was introduced as MGMT B_trigger was decreased from 65 to 61 thousand tonnes to be in line with ICES MSY B_trigger. Other reference points were unchanged except HR_lim and HR_pa. were introduced to replace Flim and Fpa. New stock annexes were produced, the draft advice was produced according to these annexes.

There is compelling evidence for continuation of new infection by Ichthyophonus hoferi in the Icelandic summer spawning herring in the winter 2018/19 as was observed in the stock in the winter 2016/17 and 2017/18. Additional infection mortality was therefore applied in 2019 like was done for 2017 and 2018. The NWWG implemented the change as it is an improvement of the assessment.

The effect of the survey area coverage of deep pelagic Sebastes mentella in 2015 and 2018 surveys, and the appropriateness of the biomass indices, was investigated at the 2019 meeting (see chapter 22.6.2). There is no consensus within the NWWG group on how to derive survey biomass index used in the assessment for the stock. The group recommends that the compilation of the survey indices should be reviewed at WGIDEEPS.

For all stocks, the NWWG adopted the assessment which formed the basis for stock status and the premise for the forecasts. Based on the assessments the group produced a draft advice for all stocks.