Sardine

Sardines in the Bay of Biscay are overfished but are not subject to overfishing.Stock assessments are carried out annually by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The most recent assessment was published in 2024 using data up to 2024. The next assessment is expected in 2025.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) in this region has experienced a general decline since 2010. The spawning stock biomass (SSB) was estimated at 62,982 tonnes in 2024, below MSY Btrigger (78,700 tonnes) and Bpa proxy (67,500), but above Blim (56,300 tonnes) the limit reference point for biomass. Biomass has been at similar levels since 2021. Therefore, the stock is considered to be overfished.Fishing pressure (F) has been high in recent years. F has been above levels consistent with fishing at maximum sustainable yield (MSY) since 2014. In 2023, F reduced to the lowest level since 2014, at 0.35, which is below FMSY (0.45). Therefore, the stock is not subject to overfishing.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in 2025 should be no more than 23,667 tonnes. This is a 19.5% increase in advice from 2024 due to high recruitment in 2023 leaving to a slight increase in biomass levels.

Sardine in this region is poorly managed and requires considerable improvement. In recent years, fishing levels have been too high, and management measures have not protected population levels.There are no specific management objectives or a management plan for this population (or stock) at the moment. There is ongoing discussion about a Management Plan or Total Allowable Catch (TAC) through the SWWAC (South West Waters Advisory Council) for this population, but the plan has not been formalised yet.Between 2014-2019 catches consistently exceeded advice. Between 2020-2022 total annual catch was within advised catch limits. Despite this, fishing pressure in this period (0.47, 0.6 and 0.52 respectively) was above maximum sustainable yield (FMSY 0.45). In 2023, catches (approximately 23,000t) were 8% above advice, however 2024 catches are not expected to exceed advice.Regulation measures for sardine fished within European waters:Minimum landing size (as detailed below)Restrictions on mesh sizes for netsA Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS), i.e., minimum catch size, of 11 cm in place for sardine caught in European waters, which provides limited protection to immature fish. Sardine taken below the length at fist maturity (average 14.8cm, range 10.9-16.8cm) 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 impacts Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best scientific evidence Timeframes for stock recovery Improved 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 bycatch Stakeholder engagement

Most 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 French and Spanish 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).