Sardine

Sardine in the Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters are not overfished, however there is concern for fishing pressure.Stock assessments are carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in 2025 using data up to 2025. 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.The sardine population (or stock) experienced a large decline between 2006 and 2015. After a period of prolonged collapse (2010-2018) the population has since recovered and is now at safe biomass levels and fishing pressure has declined towards sustainable levels in recent years.The populations spawning stock biomass (SSB) was estimated at 494,037 tonnes in 2025, well above the biomass trigger point (MSY Btrigger) of 252,523 tonnes and the GFG proxy for BMSY (353,532t), the stock has been broadly stable at this level since 2020. Therefore, the stock is not currently subject to overfishing.Fishing pressure (F) in 2025 (0.119) was above Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY) (0.092) and the GFG proxy for Fpa (1.25FMSY: 0.115). Therefore, we do consider there to be concern for fishing pressure.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2026 should be no more than 38,978 tonnes. This is a slight decrease in advice from the previous year.

Partially effective management is in place for sardine in this region. Catches have exceeded advice in recent years. Part of the fishery is MSC certified, but the certification is conditional on improving management.Within the sardine fishery in the Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters, only the Iberian Sardine Purse Seine Fishery is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified. This certification is conditional on demonstrating improved monitoring of impacts on vulnerable species, as well as evidence that the management plan is effective in controlling catch levels.Sardine in this area is jointly managed by Spain and Portugal, national measures and effort limitations have significantly reduced fishing mortality. A bilateral management plan (MP) for the period 2021–2026 was agreed between Portugal and Spain. ICES evaluated the plan and found it to be precautionary with maximum allowed catches between 30,000 and 50,000 tonnes. Since 2025, both countries have agreed to a total allowable catch of 51,738 tonnes, distributed as 34,406t for Portugal and 17,332t for Spain. This exceeds the 50,000 tonnes cap considered in ICES precautionary evaluation, therefore it can not be guaranteed that exportation levels remain precautionary.Before the updated management plan was introduced, scientific advice for both 2018 and 2019 recommended a zero catch. However, this advice was not followed, and sardine fishing continued. As a result, landings reached 15,062 tonnes in 2018 and 13,760 tonnes in 2019.Catches and quotas between 2023 and 2025 (preliminary) have consistently exceeded scientific advice. In 2023, catches reached 48,399 t, exceeding advice by 10%, while in 2024 catches increased to 51,109 t, 76% above advised levels. In 2025, combined national quotas were set at 51,738 t, 24% above scientific advice, and preliminary catches of 53,628 t exceeded both the advised catch levels and the established quotas. Overall, current management is not following with scientific advice.In Portugal the purse-seine fishery was closed between 04 December 2024 and 21 April 2025, with 10% of accessory catches allowed while targeting other species. The fishery reopened in April 2025 with a quota of 34,406t.Regulation measures in both Spain and Portugal for the fishery include:Minimum landing sizes (as detailed below)Specifications for design and use of fishing gearsMinimum mesh sizes for netsClosed seasonsA Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS), i.e., minimum catch size, of 11 cm in place for sardine caught in European waters, which provides some protection to immature fish. Sardine taken below the length at fist maturity (average 14.8cm) would likely not have had the chance to reproduce.Discarding in this fishery is negligible.The EU and UK both have fishery management measures, which can include catch limits, population targets, and gear restrictions. However, compliance in the EU and UK has been inconsistent, with ongoing challenges in implementing some regulations. The goal of reaching Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 was missed, with less than half of UK TACs in 2024 following ICES advice. In 2024, the EU and UK 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 retained by the UK post-Brexit, 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 UK is in the process of replacing the LO with country-specific Catching Policies.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. Across the UK, different approaches to REM are being taken and legislation is expected to be in place across all 4 countries within the next few years.The Marine Conservation Society is keen to see publicly available Fishery Management Plans for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:An overview of the fishery including current stock status, spatial coverage, current fishing methods and impactsTargets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidenceTimeframes for stock recoveryImproved data collection, transparency, and accountability, supported by technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM)Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery, including habitat impacts and minimising bycatchStakeholder engagement

Sardine in this area is caught by purse seiners. This method of fishing is unlikely to cause seabed impacts and has low risk of bycatch of unwanted species.Sardines are a small schooling fish found in coastal shelf waters, mainly at depths above 150m. They form dense schools (or shoals) in pelagic waters which, in this region, are targeted by Spanish and Portuguese purse seine fishers.A purse seine is a large net used to surround a school (or shoal) of fish, mid-water. This method of fishing is very species selective. Fishers can identify target species by shape and behaviour with echo sounders and sonar. They can also aim to select the size of fish caught by picking a certain section of the shoal (e.g., larger fish are normally located on the outside of the shoal). Very occasionally some larger non-target fish or cetaceans may get encircled in the net but can usually be released by ‘dipping’ the float line and allowing them to swim out with limited loss of the target species. If the catch is the wrong species or size, the whole catch can be released unharmed before hauling.This method of fishing has minimal seabed impacts as the net does not come into contact with the seabed. Very occasionally the net may lay on the seafloor in shallow water, but as the net is not towed or dragged this should have little impact.The overall impact of the sardine fishery on the pelagic ecosystem in this ecoregion has not been evaluated. Sardine has been found to be important in the diet of many cetacean species, notably common dolphins. As with many other pelagic species, sardine, due to a high dependency on lower trophic levels, can be highly vulnerable to changes in plankton community, environmental conditions, and climate change.UK regulations to reduce the impacts of fishing on marine habitats and wider species are under development, in the meantime most EU regulations have been adopted. Under EU legislation, bycatch species should be managed within scientifically defined or, where data isn’t available, suitability precautionary sustainable exploration limits. If stocks fall below a certain threshold, measures can be brought in such as gear limitations (e.g., mesh size or depth of use), time and/or areas closures, and Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes (MCRS).