Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in Division 6.a, Functional Unit 13 (West of Scotland, Firth of Clyde, and Sound of Jura)

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 4596 tonnes (4122 tonnes for the Firth of Clyde and 474 tonnes for the Sound of Jura).

To ensure that the stock in Functional Unit (FU) 13 is exploited sustainably, management should be implemented at the FU level. In this particular FU, additional measures should be implemented to ensure that landings taken in each component (the Firth of Clyde and the Sound of Jura) are in line with the advice.

ICES notes the existence of a management plan, developed and adopted by one of the relevant management authorities for Subarea 6. ICES considers this plan to be precautionary when implemented at the FU level.