Haddock

Haddock in the North Sea, West of Scotland, and Skagerrak is not overfished and 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 2023. 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. Because BMSY is not defined, the Good Fish Guide (GFG) applies its own definition of 1.4 x MSY BTrigger.Haddock catches peaked at around 500,000 tonnes in the 1970s. They have since declined to around 40,000 tonnes over the past five years. In 2022, assessments significantly changed the historical estimates of stock size and the reference points against which the stock is measured. However, the overall perception of the stock remains the same. Spawning-stock biomass (SSB) declined from around 450,000 tonnes in the 1970s to fall below the level at which reproduction might be impaired (Blim, 141,339 tonnes) in the 1990s. After recovering to nearly 400,000t in the early 2000s, it again fell and was below Blim for most of the last 20 years. However, the SSB has dramatically increased from around 89,800t in 2019 to 680,608t in 2024. It is now 246% of the target level (MSY BTrigger, 196,402t), and 148% of the GFG definition of BMSY (274,963t) and therefore is not in an overfished state.Fishing mortality (F) declined from high levels of around 0.8 between 1971 and 2001 to fluctuate between 0.2 and 0.5 since. In 2023 it was 0.084 – 51% below levels associated with Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY, 0.174). Therefore, stock is not subject to overfishing.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, total catches in 2025 should be no more than 112,435 tonnes. This is a 25% decrease on the previous year's advice owing to the changes in the FMSY reference point from 0.24 to 0.174.Recruitment of young fish into the stock has been low since 2000, but 2019 and 2020 were better years and the stock size is increasing as a result. However, recruitment for 2023 and estimates for 2024 are lower.

Management measures are in place and generally effective, and there is a precautionary management plan for this fishery. Part of the fishery is MSC certified, but the certification is conditional on improving management.There are several Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries for haddock in the North Sea. The most relevant one to the UK is the Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG). SFSAG has put in place some voluntary measures to improve selectivity and avoid vulnerable habitats. There are some conditions on the certification, relating to ensuring that there is a strategy to recover the stock if it falls below target levels. Other management measures are detailed below.Catches of haddock in the North Sea, Skagerrak and West of Scotland are mainly made by the (around 80% of the landings), followed by Denmark and Norway. The EU has a Multiannual Plan (MAP) for its fleets, but Norway and the UK are not part of it. Instead, there is a separate agreed management approach between the EU, UK, and Norway, which includes an agreement to develop a joint long-term management plan.Catch limits, known as Total Allowable Catches (TACs), are the main management measure. TACs are determined based on annual stock assessments by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and are divided among different fishing areas. The North Sea gets 85%, West of Scotland gets 10%, and the Skagerrak gets 5%.In 2023 the combined TACs were 54% of advice and in 2024 80% of the ICES advice, indicating that management is following scientific recommendations. Total catches (landings + discards) from 2017-2021 averaged 90% of the advice and in 2023 was 52% of the advice and 97% of the TACs. Catches are therefore complying with advice and regulations. In 2021, the recommended maximum catch for the haddock stock increased by 66%, and increased by a further 86% in 2022. However, haddock is caught alongside North Sea cod, which is at dangerously low levels, and therefore increasing catches could have a detrimental effect on the cod stock. Managers recognised this and chose to set catch limits at 72% of the advice in 2021 and 41% in 2022. In 2024, the advice catch has decreased by 25% and a 5.5% decrease in TACs.Other management measures include:Real-time closures: For cod, haddock, saithe and whiting in the North Sea and Skagerrak, if more than 10% of the catch by weight is juveniles (smaller than 35cm, 30cm, 35cm, or 27cm respectively), the area in which they were caught is closed for 3 weeks.Minimum conservation reference size: haddock can legally be caught and sold at 30 cm. Below this size, haddock have to be landed but can't be sold for human consumption and so have a lower value.Landing obligation: it is illegal to discard unwanted (e.g. below-minimum-size, BMS) haddock at sea, although there some exemptions. Reported landings of BMS haddock are very low, and observer data indicates that illegal discarding is taking place at sea. Estimated discards in 2021 were 37% of the total catch by weight. This could be related to good spawning years in 2019 and 2020, increasing the number of small haddock in the fishery.The Scottish Conservation Credits scheme, which aimed to reduce cod mortality, improve gear selectivity, and reduce discards, ended in 2016 but was successful until then. It also successfully reduced mortality of associated species, such as haddock.Various other measures are in place to protect young fish, spawning areas, sensitive species, and marine habitats. There are some closed areas to protect juveniles and vulnerable habitats. In the EU and UK, the minimum mesh size that trawl nets may use is 120mm, to prevent catching undersize cod, haddock or saithe. Smaller mesh can be used if by-catches of those species do not exceed 20% of the total by weight, or if there are selectivity modifications. In Norway, the minimum mesh size is 120mm south of 64 degrees N and 130mm north of it.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 Fisheries Act (2020) requires the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) (replacing EU Multi-Annual Plans) in the UK. 43 FMPs have been proposed and are at various stages of development and implementation, these should all be published by the end of 2028. FMPs have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries, although data limitations may delay them for some stocks. It is also essential the UK governments define and adopt a standardised approach or model across the four nations to a universally defined FMP design, to ensure the consistence, quality and coherence of all the proposal FMPs. 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 A North Sea and West Coast of Scotland Haddock FMP has been proposed, coordinated by Marine Scotland that incorporates this stock. At the time of writing, it is too soon to know whether proposed management measures will be effective in managing the stock. For more information about this FMP and expected progress and timelines, see [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fisheries-management-plans#published-fmps].

Most haddock catches are by otter trawls, which are likely to cause some damage to the seabed. Bycatch is moderate and may include vulnerable species such as blue and flapper skate, and cod. In the certified component of the fishery, vessels have implemented measures to improve monitoring and reduce bycatch.Most haddock in this area (around 87%) is caught by by bottom otter trawling and seining. Haddock is a specific target for some fleets, but is also caught as part of a mixed fishery catching cod, whiting and Nephrops.Demersal otter trawls have the potential to take relatively high quantities of bycatch. In the Northeast Atlantic there are reported catches of demersal elasmobranchs and endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species (e.g. sharks, rays and marine mammals). Bycatch data is limited in many UK and EU fisheries as they are generally not well monitored. However, a proportion of the trawl fisheries in the North Sea are Marine Stewardship Council-certified and record bycatch. The Marine Conservation Society assumes these records will be indicative of bycatch in the uncertified component. Bycatch includes North Sea cod and West of Scotland cod and whiting, which are at very low levels. Endangered, threatened or protected species included the Critically Endangered common skate complex (blue skate and flapper skate), porbeagle, and other skates and rays.Some mitigation measures are in place in some areas. There is a UK North Sea cod avoidance plan, requiring a minimum 120mm mesh size in the Scottish North Sea, seasonal closures to protect spawning stocks, and a requirement to move away from areas where large numbers of cod are observed in catches. In Sweden, vessels have increased bycatch avoidance measures by using larger-meshed panels in their nets, which allow juvenile cod to escape. Nevertheless, ICES indicates that the roundfish-directed fishery (demersal trawling with over 120mm mesh size) has the biggest impact on the North Sea cod stock, accounting for 75% of catches. Therefore, this fishery is likely to be affecting the population.For blue and flapper skate, mitigation measures include a prohibition on landing either species, and some protection for nursery areas. It is not clear if this fishery is having an impact at population level for any of these species. Given that bycatch is ongoing, MCS considers it possible that the bycatch level is contributing to population decline and/or preventing recovery.Demersal trawls have contact with the seabed resulting in penetration and abrasion of habitat features. The impact of trawling on the seabed depends on the location and scale in which trawling occurs. For example, areas that are used to natural disturbance through tides and waves, are less sensitive to habitat impacts. Areas not used to mobile towed gears are typically more sensitive to trawling.In the North Sea area, impacts from bottom trawling are variable. Fishing grounds for haddock vary, but the habitat is generally mud and sand, which are less vulnerable to trawling than features such as reefs and seagrass. Data from 2022 indicates that trawling was happening on 70% of the seabed area between 0-200m, and 27% of the seabed for areas 200-800m in depth. Fishing effort in the region has halved since 2002, mainly in the trawl fisheries, which is reducing pressure on the seabed and on bycatch species. However, fishing in the North Sea in general has reduced the number of large fish in the ecosystem (mostly cod, saithe, ling, sturgeon, and some elasmobranchs). There are concerns about the impact of North Sea trawling on sea pens.There are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in this area, some of which are designated to protect seabed features from damaging activities. This fishery overlaps with parts of these MPAs, but the proportion of the catch coming from these areas is expected to be relatively low in relation to the unit of assessment (i.e. less than 20% of the catch or effort), and so these impacts have not been assessed within the scale of this rating. Given the important role that MPAs have in recovering the health and function of our seas, the Marine Conservation Society encourages the supply chain to identify if their specific sources are being caught from within MPAs. If sources are suspected of coming from within designated and managed MPAs, the Marine Conservation Society advises businesses to establish if the fishing activity is operating legally inside a designated and managed MPA, and request evidence from the fishery or managing authority to demonstrate that the activity is not damaging to protected features or a threat to the conservation objectives of the site(s).To improve monitoring and reporting of fishing activity, the Marine Conservation Societywould 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.The Scottish Fisheries Sustainable Accreditation Group (SFSAG) is MSC-certified for whiting, haddock, hake, plaice and saithe in the North Sea. It has put in place some voluntary measures to improve selectivity and avoid vulnerable habitats. Some actions are needed to mitigate capture method impacts:Cod: better management is needed to ensure bycatch is not hindering recovery, demonstrated by evidence that the stock is rebuilding.Habitats: more information and a strategy is needed to guarantee that the fishery is not impacting vulnerable habitats.

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