Norway lobster (<i>Nephrops norvegicus</i>) in Division 4.a, Functional Unit 9 (central North Sea, Moray Firth)

<p dir="ltr">ICES advises that when the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach is applied, and assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of the years 2022–2024, catches in 2026 should be no more than 2 989 tonnes.</p><p dir="ltr">To ensure that the stock in Functional Unit (FU) 9 is exploited sustainably, management should be implemented at the FU level. Transfer of advised catch from other FUs to FU 9 could lead to overexploitation.</p><p dir="ltr">ICES notes the existence of a management plan, developed and adopted by one of the relevant management authorities for Subarea 4. </p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>