Coley

The Faroes Grounds saithe stock is above target levels, however the stock is being fished above target levels and is subject to overfishing.Stock assessments are carried out by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in 2025 using data up to that year. The next assessment is expected in 2026.The stock assessment defines reference points for fishing pressure (F) and biomass (B). For fishing pressure, there is a target to keep F at or below Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). For biomass, there is no target. However, there is a trigger point (MSY BTrigger). Below this level, F should be reduced to allow the stock to increase. Because BMSY is not defined, the Good Fish Guide (GFG) applies its own definition of 1.4 x MSY BTrigger.The biomass of the spawning-stock (SSB) of Faroe Grounds saithe fluctuated between 150,000 tonnes and 50,000t from the 1960s-2000s. In recent years, biomass has remained relatively stable at around 50,000t. In 2025 it was 57,509t, which is above target levels (MSY BTrigger, 36,412t) and the GFG proxy for BMSY (50,977tonnes). The stock is therefore not in an overfished state.For most of the 1980s-2010s, fishing mortality (F) has been above levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 0.38). It has decreased since 2015 to 2023 but has increase in 2024 (0.42) and 2025 (0.48). Fishing pressure is now above FMSY and 1.1 FSMY but below Fpa (0.62). Therefore, the stock is being fished above target levels and is subject to overfishing.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2026 should be no more than 27,032 tonnes. This is a 1% decrease from the previous year's advice, due to the fishing mortality in 2025 differing slightly between the assessment and the forecast.

Average catches have been within recommended limits in recent years. A new management plan was introduced in 2021, but it is too early to tell what the impact will be.Part of the saithe fishery has been Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified since 2013. Currently, FISF, the Faroe Islands Sustainable Fisheries company, Faroe Island Demersal MSC- certified fishery appears to be responsible for most saithe catches. This fishery also incorporates various other species such as haddock and tusk. Certification is conditional on demonstrating the effect of the management plan on the stock (see below), and better monitoring of impacts on vulnerable species. Certified fisheries are subject to regular audits and must meet certain requirements for traceability.Faroe Grounds saithe is primarily caught by Faroese fleets, accounting for around 98% of total catches in recent years. The UK and Norway also catch a small amount. The Faroe Islands have a number of agreements to cover international fisheries arrangements. In 2025, it was agreed that the UK could catch up to 575t of Faroe saithe.A management plan for Faroe Plateau cod, haddock, and saithe was implemented in 2021. Like previous measures, it uses a days-at-sea system rather than catch limits and aims to keep stocks above the point of reproductive impairment (Blim) with 95% probability. The number of allocated days at sea varies by gear type and vessel size, and the plan accounts for predicted cod and haddock bycatch in the saithe fishery. Longliners and small trawlers are regulated according to cod and haddock stock status, while large single trawlers and pair trawlers are regulated by saithe stock status. The harvest strategy allows annual adjustments of fishing days by ±5%, depending on whether biomass or fishing pressure exceed target reference points. A conversion factor is used to translate fishing days into predicted fishing mortality and catches. However, ICES notes that allocated fishing days do not necessarily correspond to actual catches due to fluctuations in species catchability.In November 2023, Faroese authorities began reviewing this plan, resulting in the inclusion of a recovery plan for the 2024 fishing year to address the critical status of Faroe Plateau cod. The recovery plan imposed stricter measures than usual, including a 20% reduction in fishing days for all longliners and small trawlers (compared to the standard 5% decrease). Larger trawlers, initially set for a 5% increase, were instead given a 10% reduction due to cod bycatch concerns. Additionally, spawning closures were extended by 14 days on both ends of the traditional period. The revised plan will be evaluated again in 2024 and has not yet been submitted to ICES for review, leaving its effectiveness uncertain.In 2021, ICES catch advice was a 65% reduction for cod, 24% reduction for haddock, and a 37% increase for saithe compared to the previous year. The management plan was implemented accordingly: the 2022 allocation of fishing days for fleets 3-5 was 5% lower than in 2021, and the allocation for fleet 2 was increased by 5%. Saithe catch in 2024 was 19,911 tonnes - 31% above the recommended limit (15,323 tonnes). However, average catch from 2020 to 2024 was 76% of the advice and it is too soon the determine the effectiveness of the reviewed management plan.The previous management approach, which was also based on days-at-sea, failed to adequately control the mixed fishery for cod, haddock and saithe. Cod and haddock catches exceeded advised limits. However, saithe catches were below the recommended limits, averaging 72% of scientific advice from 2017-2020.Other management measures include:A minimum permitted size of 40 cm for cod, 37 cm for haddock, and 45 cm for saithe.Consideration of real-time closures of an area if the proportion of juvenile fish in catches exceeds 30% of a haul (cod less than 50cm, saithe less than 55cm and haddock less than 45cm).Restrictions on where vessels can fish. In general, large vessels cannot access the 0-12nm zone. Around 60% of the Faroe Plateau shallower than 200m is closed to trawling for most of the year. Most of the Faroe Bank is permanently closed to trawling.There is a discard ban, and compliance with this appears to be high.The Faroe Islands are also a member of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). Vessels listed on the NEAFC Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated list (blacklist) are not permitted to call at ports, receive services and supplies or change crew members in any port of the member countries of NEAFC.

Most Faroese saithe is caught by trawling, which is likely to cause some damage to the seabed. Bycatch is moderate and may include vulnerable species including porbeagle and Faroese cod.In 2024, pair trawling accounted for almost all Faroe saithe catch (around 97%), and most of the rest was caught by single trawlers. The majority of the Faroese saithe fishery is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified.Pair trawling involves two trawlers towing a single net along the seabed between them, and the two boats keep the net open. A deadweight holds the net down to keep it close to the seabed. Single trawlers tow their nets individually, and use trawl doors to keep the net open. Both types of trawls have contact with the seabed, resulting in penetration and abrasion of habitat features. The impact of trawling on the seabed depends on the where trawling happens, and on what scale. For example, habitats that are used to natural disturbance through tides and waves, are less sensitive to impacts. Areas not used to mobile towed gears are typically more sensitive. Trawl gears are known to have some of the greatest impacts on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs), such as deep sea corals and sponges.Most of the habitats around the Faroe Islands are either sand, muddy gravel, or sandy mud. About 60% of the Faroe Plateau, which is shallower than 200m, is closed to trawling - which equates to 4% of the total Faroese EEZ. This includes a trawling ban in the inshore area (0-12 nautical miles), with the exception of 10-15 small trawlers targeting flatfish. Three additional areas are closed to protect corals. The Faroe Bank is closed to protect the Faroe Bank cod stock, and various other areas are closed during spawning seasons. If vessels do encounter species such as coral in their catch, they should move away from the area, but this appears to be an informal measure.Most corals are found between 400m and 800m, so the trawling bans for waters shallower than 200m are unlikely to provide complete protection. According to certification reports, most trawling takes place in the north east of the Faroes EEZ. Most of the identified vulnerable habitats, including deep sea corals, are found in the south and west. However, Faroese seabed habitats have not been fully mapped and there remains a risk that highly vulnerable deep sea habitats could be exposed to trawling or sedimentation from trawling. Work is underway to further map the seabed.Demersal otter trawls have the potential to take relatively high quantities of bycatch. In the Northeast Atlantic there are reported catches of demersal elasmobranchs and endangered, protected and threatened (ETP) species (e.g. sharks, rays and marine mammals). In the Faroe Islands, monitoring of bycatch is poor and better data is needed. Independent observer coverage is low and most data is self-reported by the fishing industry.In the certified fishery, small amounts of porbeagle are caught, which is Critically Endangered in Europe. Interactions with elasmobranchs that have been caught and then released, alive or dead, are not recorded.According to the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, whale and seal bycatch in Faroese trawl and longline fisheries is thought to be low. Reported incidents of marine mammal bycatch have mainly been in the pelagic fisheries for blue whiting, herring and mackerel. However, data is not shared with ICES for international analysis and reporting. Therefore, marine mammal bycatch in this fishery is not thought to be of concern, but better data is needed.Certification reports indicate that trawling in this fishery also catches haddock, cod ling, monkfish, Greenland halibut, tusk, blue ling, and golden redfish. Faroese cod is at very low levels, below the point of reproductive impairment. It is unclear whether the saithe fishery poses a risk to the cod population.