Report of the Saithe (Coalfish) Working Group

From 1970 to 1976 the total landings of saithe from the main fishery areas in the North-East Atlantic were in the range of 640 000 - 720 000 tonnes and averaged 675 000 tonnes over these seven years (T able 3.1). Landings in 1977 were reduced to 503 000 tonnes and preliminary reported landings in 1978 are 399 000 tonnes representing a reduction of about 40% from the 1970-76 level. Decreasing trends in the landings are most evident in the North-East Arctic, the North Sea and at Iceland. The reduction in catch is caused partly by restrictions imposed on the fisheries after the extension of the coastal state jurisdiction in 1977, and partly by a deterioration in the three largest stocks. The changes in the fisheries following the extended coastal state jurisdiction have severely increased the difficulties in estimating fishing mortalities and exploitation patterns for 1978 for some of the stocks