Black-bellied monkfish

Lophius budegassa

3: OK - Needs improvement How we work out the ratings

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Location

Celtic Seas (South), Bay of Biscay

Technical location

Atlantic, Northeast, Bay of Biscay (Central), Bay of Biscay (North), Bay of Biscay (Offshore), Irish Sea, Porcupine Bank, English Channel, Bristol Channel, Celtic Seas, West and Southwest of Ireland

Caught by

Bottom trawl (beam)

Rating summary

Black bellied anglerfish in the Celtic Seas and Bay of Biscay is not overfished and not subject to overfishing. There is no management plan but some measures are in place, which are partly effective in managing the stock. There is no minimum landing size and high discards of undersized fish are of concern. The catch limits are set for both black-bellied and white anglerfish together, preventing effective control of fishing for each species. However, the stock size of both species is increasing and neither appears to be at risk of over-exploitation. Habitat impacts from beam trawling include abrasion and smoothing, as the fishing gear makes contact with the seabed. They can also have high bycatch, potentially of vulnerable species.Rating last updated July 2022.

How we worked out this Rating

References

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Black-bellied monkfish
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