Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in Division 4.a, Functional Unit 7 (northern North Sea, Fladen Ground)

ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, and assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of the years 2019–2021, catches in 2023 should be no more than 13 679 tonnes.

To ensure that the stock in Functional Unit (FU) 7 is exploited sustainably, management should be implemented at the functional unit level. The catch in FU 7 has been lower than advised in recent years, and if the difference is transferred to other FUs, this could result in non-precautionary exploitation of those FUs.

ICES notes the existence of a management plan, developed and adopted by one of the relevant management authorities for Subarea 4. ICES considers this plan to be precautionary when implemented at the functional unit level.