Sardine

The most recent stock assessment indicates no concern for biomass and no concern for fishing pressure for sardine in northwest Africa, Zone C.The most recent assessment of sardine stock in Zone C, northwest Africa was in 2021. Some of the data was only available to 2019 for the assessment and so is relatively out of date. The available data indicate biomass of the stock has remained stable and Bcur (current biomass) in 2019 was 130% of B0.1 (the value of Biomass corresponding to F0.1 - see below), indicating that the stock biomass is in a healthy state.There was a 13 percent decrease in the catch in 2020 compared to 2019. However, significant catches have been recorded in recent years (2016-2019). The ratio of Fcur (current fishing) to F0.1 (the fishing mortality rate of 90 percent of FMSY) was 70% in 2019 indicating no concern for fishing pressure.However, the average size of the sardine caught has shown a decreasing trend in recent years. Highlighting the need for to be vigilant in the exploitation of this stock.This stock is strongly influenced by environmental factors and exhibits fluctuations in biomass independent of fishing. For this reason, the maximum total catch to be caught must be adapted to the natural modifications of the stock. The structure and abundance of the stock should also be closely monitored by methods independent of fishing, such as coordinated acoustic surveys covering the entire range of the species.

There are some measures in place, which appear to be partly effective in managing the stock. However, management plans should include species specific TACs, to prevent over-exploitation of single species, and joint setting of TACs between nations.There is limited accessible recent information available about management measures for this Zone C area.West African stocks are captured in industrial and artisanal small pelagic fisheries in Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, and the Gambia that also target European anchovy, sardinellas, horse mackerel and chub mackerel. Some species in the mixed stock fishery are over-exploited throughout the West African region. A management plan has been in place, for small pelagics in Moroccan Zone C (Cap Boujdour to Cap Blanc) since 2010. However, it is a multispecies plan and there is no harvest control rule (HCR) in place; it is not therefore responsive to the state of individual stocks.A national small pelagics TAC is set in Morocco, and a catch ceiling for foreign fleets (EU and Russia) operating under legal agreements in Morocco and Mauritania. Catches under these agreements count toward the overall TAC, but is not species specific. Catches have consistently been lower than the TAC.Other fishery controls include time and area restrictions including for spawning and rearing locations, a per trip catch limit for pelagic trawlers and an annual small pelagic limit for purse seiners. There are also zoning restrictions for industrial and non-industrial sectors operating in Morocco.In Mauritania, there is no fishery management plan, no national TAC, and no harvest control rule for sardine or small pelagics. Current Mauritanian Fisheries Code directs for the implementation of precautionary, sector-specific fishery management plans, including catch limits. However, no applicable fishery management plan or harvest strategy (multispecies or specific to sardines) has been known to be in effect. There is, however, a partial TAC (applied to EU vessels) and a number of management measures in place. The TAC for small pelagics for EU fleets operating within Mauritanian EEZ has been consistently complied with in recent years. However, the EU catch component is a small fraction of the overall small pelagic catch in Mauritania. Limits and compliance pertaining to the rest of the fleet fishing in Mauritania are unclear. There is an offshore zone limit for trawlers, but no apparent spatial-temporal measures. There is a minimum mesh size for nets and trawls, and a minimum size limit for sardine. There are licensing requirements, but the artisanal fleet is open access.Discarding in Morocco is indicated to be low (<2%), however, quantification of discarding in Mauritania is limited. A variety of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU) fishing activities are indicated to be persistent, but are poorly documented in the region. Complex foreign fishing arrangements add ambiguity. IUU impacts appear to be somewhat less of a concern in Morocco than farther south; but the degree is unclear. Monitoring, control and surveillance systems throughout the region have undergone improvements in the last decade.There is a stage 4 Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) for small pelagic species in Mauritanian for this Southern - Zone C. However, the FIP for the Moroccan fishery, which appears to account for the majority of landings of this species, is 'INACTIVE' as it did not meet reporting requirements. The Mauritanian FIP aims to improve data, management, ecosystem management, cross border collaboration, and refocussing on the human consumption market.

Sardine in this stock area (Zone C) are caught in purse seine nets and pelagic trawls. Both gears are considered to have very low potential effects on the habitat and on protected species.Data on interactions with protected species is limited in Morocco and Mauritania. Nonetheless, protective measures are in place for sharks and bycatch limits are defined for allowable species.Fishing areas, considered artisanal and industrial are defined in each of the countries. In Morocco, artisanal and purse seiners (gross tonnage 2-150 tonnes) are restricted to beyond 2 nautical miles (nm) offshore. In Mauritania, industrial fleets are restricted to beyond 15 nm; no restrictions are in place for artisanal fishers. Fishing gears are not expected to interact with the seabed ecosystem.There are a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which have been established along the Northwest African coast. These do not directly contribute to the stock but indirectly to the protection of the ecosystems. Morocco has three MPAs in the central area but limits on fishing is unclear. There are four MPAs in Mauritania. Industrial vessels and outboard engines are not permitted in the Banc d'Arguin Park and access is limited to travel and tourism. It is not clear if fishing regulations apply in the other MPAs.A non-target species (bycatch) threshold of 3% of the total catch is set for the Moroccan and Mauritanian small pelagic fisheries.Interactions of the Moroccan and Mauritanian small pelagic fisheries with protected species is poorly documented and further investigation is needed. Sharks are commonly reported bycatch species in fisheries off Northwest Africa, and sea turtles including green and loggerhead turtles, manta rays, sun fish and dolphins. However, interactions in the purse seine sector is likely to be low and the Moroccan FIP considered the Moroccan Sardine Purse Seine Fishery not to pose a threat to endangered species. Moreover, the 2012-2017 ban on the capture of sharks including: hammerhead - Sphyrna spp. (except bonnethead - S. tiburo); oceanic whitetip - Carcharhinus longimanus (Critially Endangered: IUCN Red list); and bigeye thresher - Alopias superciliosus (Vulnerable: IUCN Red list) was renewed through to 2022 in Moroccan waters; in accordance with commitments and recommendations made by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).Sardine is a species at or near the base of the food chain and the impact of their large-scale removal on the marine ecosystem requires further investigation. Small pelagic species in this fishery are highly dependent on oceanographic conditions in Northwest Africa.

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