Red mullet

Mullus surmuletus

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

What to check for

Location

North Sea, Eastern English Channel and Skagerrak and Kattegat (Northern Area)

Technical location

Atlantic, Northeast, English Channel (East), North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat

Caught by

Net (demersal seine)

Rating summary

Th striped red mullet population in this area is healthy in size but fishing pressures are just above sustainable limits. There are some management measures in place, but these fish are fished without limit and above advised levels, whilst being caught before having had the chance to reproduce. Danish seines have a smaller footprint than otter trawls and therefore have less impact on the seafloor. Bycatch of vulnerable species has not been reported for this fishery.Rating last updated July 2023.

Technical consultation summary

The striped red mullet population (or stock) in this area is underfished (B:BMSY 2.6) but fishing pressure is just above sustainable limits (F:FMSY 1.072). There are some management measures in place, but these fish are fished without limit (i.e., TACs or quotas) and markedly above advised levels (~150%, 2022), and are being caught before having had the chance to reproduce. No minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) for red mullet is in place and there is an established market for small fish (catches mainly consist of juveniles aged 0-1). Danish seines have a smaller footprint than otter trawls and therefore have less impact on the seafloor. Bycatch of vulnerable species has not been reported for this fishery.

How we worked out this Rating

The striped red mullet population (or stock) in this region is buoyant in size but fishing pressure is just above sustainable levels.The stock size indicator shows the population to largely fluctuate throughout the time series but has remained above the maximum sustainable yield trigger point (MSY Itrigger 117.38 kg/km2 - below this level, F should be reduced to allow the stock to increase) since 2017. In 2022, the stock size increased to 306.13 kg/km2, from 238.12 kg/km2 the previous year (2021).Fishing pressure (F) on the stock has remained just above Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY proxy 1) since 2019 and been at or around FMSY proxy from the early 2000’s. In 2022, F was 1.072, a slight increase from the year previous (1.048 in 2021) but almost equal to F in 2019 and 2020.ICES advises that when the MSY approach is applied, catches should be no more than 1,985 tonnes in each of the years 2024 and 2025. All catches are assumed to be landed.Stock structure remains an issue and a source of uncertainty.

There are some management measures in place, but the striped red mullet population is fished without limit and significantly above advised levels, whilst being caught before having had the chance to reproduce.The EU multiannual plan (MAP) for stocks in the North Sea and adjacent waters applies to bycatches of this stock. It aims to ensure that stocks are exploited sustainably and that the decisions on fishing opportunities are based on the most up-to-date scientific information. UK and Norway have not requested ICES to provide advice based on the EU MAP.Striped red mullet is not subject to Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and quotas. Total catches have been markedly above advised annual catch levels every year catch advice has been provided, since 2012 (except in 2013). Between 2014 and 2019, the average total catch was 573% (ranging 373-975%) of advice. In 2022, total catch again exceeded advice, at 147% of the advised limit.There is no minimum landing size for striped red mullet and there is a market for small fish. Recent catches of this stock mainly consist of fish ages 0 and 1. Striped red mullet start maturing at age 1 but are not fully matured before age 3. The stock status would therefore benefit from improved technical measures, such as sorting grids, increased mesh size, and spatial and temporal closures. These measures could reduce the catches of small fish and contribute to more stable yields.However, a Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) does apply to striped red mullet fished within some Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (i.e., Southern, Cornwall, and North Western IFCAs: 15 cm), providing some protection to immature fish within English inshore waters. Striped red mullet reaches sexual maturity at an average of 16.1 cm (ranging 15-26 cm).Discards are assumed negligible.In the EU, compliance with regulations has been variable, and there are ongoing challenges with implementing some of them.In the UK, 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 have the potential to be very important tools for managing UK fisheries. They will set out the policies to secure the long-term sustainability of our fish stocks for current and future generations and can include (data allowing):Targets for fishing pressure and biomass, with effective management to meet them;Timeframes for stock recovery;Use of technologies such as Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to support data collection, improve transparency and accountability;Consideration of wider environmental impacts of the fishery.

Danish seines have a smaller footprint than otter trawls and therefore have less impact on the seafloor. Bycatch of vulnerable species has not been reported for this fishery.The striped red mullet is a benthic fish found mostly on sandy bottoms. Young fish are distributed in coastal areas, while adults have a more offshore distribution. In 2022, 71% of the total catch was taken by Danish seine (also known as fly shooters), 19.7% by otter trawlers, and a further 9.3% by other fishing gears.Danish seines are similar to a small trawl net, but the wire warps are much longer and there are no otter boards. Although there is contact with the seabed, gears are light and only have light contact with the sea floor, thus benthic impacts are minor. They operate two long seine ropes to herd fish together in the fishing area, nets are laid out on muddy or sandy seabed, which is anchored at one end, and hauled in once the fish have been encircled. Seine sets can easily encircle marine mammals such as dolphins, sea turtles, whales and sharks, along with the target species as the net is set. However, generally seine netters have a very low bycatch rates, and there have been no reports of bycatch of protected, endangered or threatened species within this ecoregion by seine nets.UK regulations to reduce the impacts of fishing on marine habitats and wider species are under development, in the meantime most EU regulation 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).

References

Angling Trust (2023). Minimum Conservation Reference Sizes. Available at https://anglingtrust.net/minimum-conservation-reference-sizes-mcrss/ [Accessed 24.07.2023]Cornwall IFCA (2023). Cornwall IFCA byelaws, other regulations and codes of practise: Specified fish sizes (as amended). Available at https://www.cornwall-ifca.gov.uk/Byelaws_Regulations [Accessed 24.07.23]Froese R. and Pauly D. (Editors), 2023. Mullus surmuletus, Red mullet. Available at: https://www.fishbase.se/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=1327&AT=red+mullet [Accessed 24.07.2023]ICES. 2022c. Greater North Sea ecoregion – fisheries overview. ICES Advice: Fisheries Overviews. Report. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.21641360.v1 [Accessed 03.07.2023]ICES. 2022d. Greater North Sea ecoregion – Ecosystem Overview. ICES Advice: Ecosystem Overviews. Report. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.21731912.v1 [Accessed 03.07.2023]ICES. 2023a. Striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in Subarea 4 and divisions 7.d and 3.a (North Sea, eastern English Channel, Skagerrak and Kattegat). In Report of the ICES Advisory Committee, 2023. ICES Advice 2023, mur.27.3a47d. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.21840957 [Accessed 20.07.2023]ICES. 2023b. Stock Annex: Striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus) in Subarea 4 and divisions 7.d and 3.a (North Sea, eastern English Channel, Skagerrak and Kattegat). ICES Stock Annexes. 29 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.23578803 [Accessed 20.07.2023]ICES. 2023c. Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak (WGNSSK). ICES Scientific Reports. 5:39. 1072 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.22643143 [Accessed 20.07.2023]Leaper, R. 2021. An evaluation of cetacean bycatch in UK fisheries: problems and solutions. Available at https://uk.whales.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/02/cetacean-bycatch-uk-fisheries-problems-solutions.pdf [Accessed 17.07.2023]MCS. 2023. MPA Reality Check. Available at https://mpa-reality-check.org/ [Accessed 03.07.2023]Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. 2023. Red mullet. Available at https://www.seafoodwatch.org/globalassets/sfw-data-blocks/reports/M/seafood-watch-red-mullet-uk-27937.pdf [Accessed 24.07.2023]Noack, T. 2017. Danish seine - Ecosystem effects of fishing. DTU Aqua, National Institute of Aquatic Resources. Hertshals, Denmark. Available at https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/132792467/Publishers_version.pdf [Accessed 18.09.2023].North Western IFCA (2023). Minimum sizes. Available at https://www.nw-ifca.gov.uk/minimum-sizes/ [Accessed 24.07.23]Seafish, 2023. SDN - Anchor Seine. Available at: https://www.seafish.org/responsible-sourcing/fishing-gear-database/gear/sdn-anchor-seine/ [Accessed 19.07.2023]Southern IFCA (2023). Minimum sizes. Available at https://www.southern-ifca.gov.uk/da/164147 [Accessed 24.07.23]