White anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) in Subarea 7 and divisions 8.a–b and 8.d (Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay)

Please note: the present advice replaces the advice given in June 2022.

ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2023 should be no more than 34 540 tonnes.

ICES notes the existence of a precautionary management plan, developed and adopted by one of the relevant management authorities for this stock.

Management of catches of the two anglerfish species—black-bellied anglerfish (Lophius budegassa) and white anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)—under a combined species total allowable catch (TAC) prevents effective control of the single-species exploitation rates and could lead to the overexploitation of either species.