European anchovy

There is no concern for the biomass of European Anchovy in southern stock, but there is concern for fishing pressure.Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of reference points for fishing pressure. European anchovy are considered to have medium resilience to fishing pressures.Stock assessments are carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in December 2024, replacing advice provided in June 2024. The next assessment is expected in 2025.Anchovy species were benchmarked in 2024 leading to replaced assessment advice for 2024. There were two components of the anchovy stock in the Atlantic Iberian waters (Division 9a): the western component (distributed in 9a. North, 9a. Central-North, and 9a. Central-South) and the southern component (distributed in 9a. South). The benchmark resulted in the western and southern components of the anchovy stock in Division 9.a. to be separated into two different stocks and assessments, the western stock assessment now included additional biological information. Since fishing opportunities and advice were already provided separately for the two components in June 2024, this change did not affect the 2024 assessments, advice, or the provision of catch opportunities.This assessment is for the southern stock (Gulf of Cadiz and southern coast of Portugal):Stocks of small pelagics like anchovy and sardine are highly influenced by natural recruitment variability and are therefore prone to periodic collapses linked to oceanographic variability. Subsequently, the state of this resource can change quickly.ICES do not use fishing pressure (F) reference points for short-lived species, so none have been defined for this stock. However, the consistent increase in F since 2018, rising from 0.51 in 2018 to 1.79 in 2024, indicates a concern for fishing pressure.The assessment for the southern stock is trend-based. While the relative spawning stock biomass (SSB) has fluctuated over time and decreased since 2021, it remains above precautionary reference point Bpa (6,561 tonnes) and biomass limits (Blim: 4,721 tonnes) and has consistently exceed these thresholds over the past five years (2020–2024). In 2024, the SSB (10,816 tonnes) was 64% above Bpa and 129% above Blim, indicating no concern for biomass.ICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied, catches (for the period January - June 2025) from the southern stock should be no more than 7,266 tonnes. The change in advice cannot be calculated for this period due to a change in advice period.

Some but not all appropriate relevant management measures are in place for this fishery, which are partly effective in managing the stock.There is no EU management plan or known precautionary management plan for anchovy in this area. The historical fisheries management seems to have been sustainable. However, the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) agreed for the stock is routinely higher than that advised by scientists although actual landings are lower than the TAC agreed.From 2018 to 2024, catch advice was provided for the western and southern components from 01 July in one year to 30 June in the following year. Since 2024 advice is separately provided on an annual basis for the southern stock.The EU TAC is currently combined for both the southern and western stocks, despite catch advice being provided separately for each component since 2018 and for each stock since 2024. The combined TAC has been set in line with advice since 2020–21 and combined catches have remained below advice since 2021–22, catches exceeded the TAC and advice by 20% in 2020–21.ICES has noted that using a single TAC for Division 9.a makes it difficult to effectively control the exploitation rates of the two stocks, which could result in the overexploitation of one stock. For the southern stock, landings during 2022–2024 exceeded its advised catch by approximately three to five times. To ensure sustainable management of anchovy in this area, TACs should be set at the stock level.ICES states that if the management wishes to set a TAC for the whole of Division 9a then both advised catches for the two components could be summed, but, there should be a provision to protect the smaller component from overexploitation, such as the fixing of a sub-TAC for the catch period.Discards in this fishery are low. The overall annual discard in 2023 for the southern stock was 3.12% may be considered a relatively low ratio.Regulatory technical measures in force, for the Spanish (ES) and Portuguese (PT) anchovy purse seine fishing in the Division 9a, include: a minimum vessel tonnage (20 GRT with temporary exemption, ES); a maximum engine power (450 hp, ES); purse-seine maximum length (450 m (9a South, ES), 600 m (9a North, ES), 800 m (PT)); purse-seine maximum height (80 m (9a South, ES); 130 m (9a North, ES) 150 m (PT)); minimum mesh sizes (14 mm (ES), 16 mm (PT)); and restricted fishing time (5 days per week (PT/ES)).There are controls in place (e.g. minimum landings size, mesh size, seasonal closures) to protect juvenile fish. A two-month (December-January) seasonal closures exists in Spain for the Southern anchovy stock, under different Gulf of Cadiz (GoC) purse-seine fishery management plans.The harvesting of anchovy in this area is controlled by minimum landing size (MLS). In subdivisions: 9a North (ES); 9a Central-North; 9a Central-South; and 9a South (PT), the MLS is 12 cm. In subdivision 9a South (ES) the MLS is 10 cm. Both of which are above the average length at first maturity 9.7 cm (range: 9-14 cm).Since April 2013, Spain implemented a new management plan for fishing vessels operating in its national fishing grounds, which affects purse-seine fisheries in Galician (9a North) and GoC Spanish waters (9a South (ES)). One of the main measures in this plan was the introduction of an individual quota (IQ) system to allocate annual national quotas. In the case of the GoC purse-seine fishery, this measure involves a shift from a system of a fixed daily catch quota system for all the fleet to a new one based on the implementation of a IQ system managed quarterly by each fishery association, after resolution of the National Fishery Administration on the annual allocation of the national quota by association.The EU has fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed. In 2024, the EU reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable fisheries by aligning management with scientific advice to gradually approach MSY. However, no new target date has been set for achieving MSY across all fisheries. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law requires all quota fish to be landed, even if unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to encourage more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve catch reporting. However, compliance is poor, and accurate discard levels are hard to quantify with current monitoring programmes.The Marine Conservation Society views Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) with cameras is one of the most cost-effective tools for providing reliable fisheries data and aiding informed management decisions. Fully monitored fisheries enhance collaboration, data accuracy, stock recovery, and reduce impacts on marine wildlife and habitats. However, the full potential of REM may only be achieved when it tracks fishing location and documents catch and bycatch, particularly where vulnerable species and habitats are at risk. As of January 2024, the EU is introducing a Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) mandate for EU vessels, including CCTV cameras on vessels 18m or more that pose a potential risk of non-compliance, within the next 4 years.

All the Southern European anchovy are caught by purse seine netting, which is a relatively low-impact fishing method, with little bycatch and no habitat impacts.For the Southern European anchovy stock 100% of catches are from purse seiners.There is little to no impact on ecosystems caused by purse seiners. Bycatch of non-target species and those considered ETP do not appear to be significant. The main impacts to the ecosystems may be the removal of anchovy on the food chain rather than through bycatch.Anchovy is a small pelagic species, predominantly targeted by seine nets at depths between 20 and 100 m in this area. Seine net fisheries are not deemed to significantly impact the seafloor unless used in shallow waters, as nets are mostly deployed at greater depths where bottom contact does not occur.To protect shallow coastal zones, spatial closures in Portugal include a 1/4 nautical mile (nm) distance to the coastline, and 1 nm if below 20 m depth. In Spain, spatial closures exist in inside bays and estuaries, and internal waters in the North and South areas. Although purse seiners can be associated with cetacean bycatch, the purse-seine fishery is highly mono-specific, with a low level of reported bycatch of non-commercial species.Historical information gathered from observers at sea sampling programmes and interview-based surveys indicated, at least for the western waters of the Iberian Peninsula facade, a low impact on the common dolphin population. Less data is available on seabird and turtle bycatch. Other species such as pelagic crabs are released alive, and it is likely that the inflicted mortality is low.A Marine Protected Area (MPA) (the Guadalquivir River mouth fishing reserve), created in June 2004 in subdivision 9a South, corresponds to the main nursery area of fish (including anchovy) and crustacean decapods in the Gulf of Cadiz (GoC). Fishing in the reserve is only allowed (with pertinent regulatory measures) to gillnets and trammel nets, although outside the riverbed. Neither purse-seine nor bottom-trawl fishing is allowed within this MPA.To further counteract the effects of the purse seine fishery on juvenile populations, closed seasons are implemented to protect the main recruitment period. Developments to improve knowledge of potential impacts of the fishery on ETP species and further research into resource competition between the fishery and top predators, such as seabirds, is required.To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, the Marine Conservation Society would like to see remote electronic monitoring (REM) with cameras implemented, used and enforced. To reduce the impacts of fishing on the marine environment we would like to see a just transition to the complete removal of bottom towed gear from offshore Marine Protected Areas designated to protect the seabed. We also want to see reduction and mitigation of environmental impacts including emissions and blue carbon habitat damage.