European anchovy

For European anchovy in the Bay of Biscay there is no concern for the biomass, and no concern for catch levels.Route 2 (data limited) scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of a reference point for fishing pressure. European anchovy is considered to have medium resilience to fishing pressure.ICES assesses that the spawning-stock size is above the limit biomass reference point (Blim). Reference points for MSY Btrigger and Bpa have not been defined for this stock. No reference points have been defined for fishing pressure as ICES does not use F reference points to determine exploitation status for short-lived species. The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has been above the biomass reference point (Blim), at 21,000 tonnes, since 2010. In 2021, SSB was assessed as the highest in the historical series (206,215 tonnes: mid-May), significantly above the SSB management plan reference points (SSBmgt: 24,000 tonnes (lower trigger); 89,000 tonnes (upper trigger)) and almost ten times the value of Blim. SSB in 2022 is estimated to be 32% lower than that in 2021. Recruitment has been mostly above the long-term average since 2010 but is estimated to be considerably below average in 2022. Therefore, there is no concern for biomass.Harvest rates have been below the long-term average since the reopening of the fishery in 2010 and so there is no concern for fishing pressure.ICES advises that when the EU management strategy is applied, catches in 2022 should be no more than 33,000 tonnes. The advice for 2022 is the same as in 2021 and 3% higher than the advice for 2020.  This catch level corresponds to the maximum total allowable catch (TAC) in the management plan for this area.

There are management measures in place for this fishery, which are precautionary and effective in managing the stock.An EU management strategy is in place for this stock. A set of harvest control rules were evaluated by the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries in 2013 and 2014. The European Commission requested that ICES provided its advice in 2015 according to one of these rules, and according to a different one since 2016. ICES considers the harvest control rule selected in 2016 to be precautionary, with a 5% probability of the spawning-stock biomass falling below the limit biomass reference point (Blim) in the long-term.The fisheries targeting the Bay of Biscay anchovy are managed through Total Allowable Catch (TAC) set following the harvest control rule adopted in 2016, and technical measures such as gear and vessels specifications, a minimum conservation reference size, closed areas and seasons.The fishery closed between July 2005 and June 2010 due to very low stock abundance. Since the reopening of the fishery, catches have been increasing overall whilst following scientific advice and the TAC has been effectively implemented. However, fishing cannot be assessed against reference points which means concerns about fishing may not be identified for the stock.TAC has been in line with that advised by scientists in recent years (2015-21). Except in 2016, initially in accordance with advice and later raised 32% above advised limits. Compliance to the TAC has been high. Actual landings are generally lower than the TAC agreed, last exceeding TAC in 2015 by 13%. In accordance with the management strategy, TAC is set to zero if spawning-stock biomass (SSB) is below the lower trigger, and to 33,000 tonnes if SSB is above the upper trigger. The TAC cap becomes effective if the projected SSB is 89,000 tonnes or larger, which resulted in advised catches for 2022 being capped at the highest level allowed under the management strategy, despite the high SSB.Discarding is considered negligible.European anchovy inhabiting the Atlantic waters were separated into two distinct stock units; one distributed in the Bay of Biscay, in ICES area 8, which this rating covers and the other distributed in Atlantic Iberian waters, ICES area 9a (Spanish Southern Galicia, Portuguese coast and Spanish waters of the Gulf of Cadiz), which is captured in a separate ICES assessment and MCS rating. The anchovy stock covered in this assessment are caught to a small extent in ICES subarea 7 which should be considered in fisheries management, although this accounts for less than 2% of catches of the stock.Both the EU and UK have fishery management measures in place, which can include catch limits, targets for population sizes and fishing mortality, and controls on what fishing gear can be used and where. In the EU, compliance with regulations has been variable, and there are ongoing challenges with implementing some of them. There was a target for fishing to be at Maximum Sustainable Yield by 2020, but this was not achieved. The Landing Obligation (LO), an EU law that the UK has kept after Brexit, requires all quota fish to be landed, even if they are unwanted (over-quota or below minimum size). It aims to promote more selective fishing methods, reduce bycatch, and improve recording of everything that is caught, not just what is wanted. Compliance with the LO is generally poor and actual levels of discards are difficult to quantify using the current fisheries observer programme. UK administrations are in the process of replacing the landing obligation with country-specific Catching Policies.In the UK, it is too early to tell how effective management is, as the Fisheries Act only came into force in January 2021. The Act requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans). FMPs are currently in development, but the scope of them remains unclear. They have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. MCS is keen to see publicly available FMPs for all commercially exploited stocks, especially where stocks are depleted, that include:Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, and additional management when those targets are not being met, based on the best available scientific evidenceTimeframes 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

A small proportion of European anchovy is caught by pelagic trawls in the Bay of Biscay. Although bycatch is low there are concerns about the high mortality of dolphins by some fishing methods in the area, including pelagic trawls.The anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) stock in the area has been targeted by the Spanish and French fleets since the 1940s. The Spanish purse-seine fleet is the main fleet targeting anchovy in the Bay of Biscay accounting for 99.9% of total catches. The remaining 0.1% is harvested by pelagic trawlers.ICES considers bycatch in this fishery to be negligible and pelagic fisheries are deemed to be some of the cleanest fisheries in terms of disturbance of the seabed, bycatch and discarding. However, pelagic trawling (albeit, particularly for sea bass) in the Bay of Biscay is associated with high levels of dolphin bycatch and mortality (mainly common dolphin - Delphis delphinus), which is likely causing populations to decline. In light of anecdotal evidence of pelagic trawls impacting common dolphin populations in the Bay of Biscay, there is concern over the application of this fishing gear in the area.No anthropogenic mortality (or bycatch) limits have been defined for the common dolphin in the Northeast Atlantic. ICES evaluated the bycatch risk to common dolphins in the Bay of Biscay in 2018, and concluded bycatch levels may exceed internationally adopted thresholds of acceptability. The total common dolphin bycatch in mid-water trawls in the Bay of Biscay in 2015/16 was likely to have been between 924 and 2,187 individuals, representing 0.83-1.95% of the common dolphins present in subarea 8. The upper estimate (1.95%) exceeds the threshold of 1.7% of abundance. Based on the number of strandings in 2019, it was estimated that up to 11,000 common dolphins were killed in the Bay of Biscay by fishing, the highest ever-recorded levels. Bycatch is cited as the main pressure on this species, and associated mortality levels are very likely contributing to a decline in the common dolphin population within this area.France is carrying out research and developing plans (including acoustic repellents, avoidance tactics, better data collection and quantified mortality reduction targets) to reduce dolphin mortality from bycatch. Some measures are already required under EU legislation, but these have not yet resulted in a reduction in bycatch. In May 2020, ICES concluded that proposed measures by NGOs for the common dolphin in the Bay of Biscay are appropriate to reduce the bycatch. However, several spatio-temporal and technical amendments are recommended by ICES: For the common dolphin in the Bay of Biscay, a combination of temporal closures of all metiers (fisheries) of concern and application of ˜pingers on pair trawlers to mitigate bycatch outside of the period of closure. Application of ICES advice and the proposed measures are yet to be displayed.In July 2020, the European Commission took legal action against France and Spain for not complying with the Habitats Directive, as they are not preventing unsustainable bycatch of dolphin and porpoises. France and Spain have also failed to make sure that fishing boats are using pingers to scare porpoises away from nets as required under EU Fisheries Law. Small pelagic fish, most notably mackerel (Scomber scombrus), scads (Trachurus spp.), anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and sardine (Sardina pilchardus), dominate the diets of common dolphins. This overlap in feeding preferences is thought to increase the risk of dolphins being caught by pelagic trawls while feeding and may be an underlying mechanism to explain the high rate of common dolphin bycatch observed in the pelagic trawl fishery in the Bay of Biscay. Anchovy are an important prey species for many pelagic and demersal species in the Bay of Biscay, cetaceans, seabirds and other ETP species. Anchovy is a species at or near the base of the food chain and the impact of their large-scale removal on the marine ecosystem is poorly understood.To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, MCS 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.

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