Sardine

The most recent stock assessment indicates no concern for biomass and no concern for fishing pressure for sardine in northwest Africa, Zones A + B.The biomass of the stock has remained stable and Bcur (current biomass) in 2019 was 141% of B0.1 (the value of Biomass corresponding to F0.1 - see below) , indicating that the stock biomass is in a healthy state.The stock is considered not fully exploited by the 2019 deadline. The ratio of Fcur (current fishing) to F0.1 (the fishing mortality rate of 90 percent of FMSY) was 54% in 2019 indicating no concern for fishing pressure.However, there are slight decreases in catch per unit effort (CPUE) and average sizes of sardines caught in the central zone. Highlighting the need for to be vigilant in the exploitation of this stock.The Working Group maintains the recommendation to limit catches of sardines in this area to a level not exceeding 550 000 tonnes (this was also the recommended catch limit in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019).

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 A+B area.In this Central area all it is understood that all captures are part of the Moroccan fishery. There are some measures in place, which are partly effective in managing the stock. However, management plans should include species specific TACs. A management plan with effort limits was put in place in this area in 2015. 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. Some species in the mixed stock fishery are over-exploited.The Moroccan National Fisheries Research Institute (INRH), assesses the stock in Morocco but does not issue specific management advice. The FAO working group advises catch limits annually, but management has never established corresponding TACs. Catches occasionally exceed the advised catch limit for the fishery, but have been well below the limit since 2014.There are several input controls in place to limit exploitation rates. Effort regulation measures include fishing licensing, gear and vessel restrictions and seasonal and area closures. For purse seiners there is also a per trip limit, and an annual cap in certain areas. Morocco has implemented a number of policies and strategies to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU), which is punishable by law. Information on current rates of removal by IUU fishing is limited, and underreporting is a concern particularly for the artisanal sector. Fishery observers are required on-board foreign vessels, and have recently also been placed aboard Moroccan vessels as part of a study on discards and ETP species interactions.Studies have found relatively low discard rates occurring in the coastal purse seine fishery.A Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) had been in place for the Moroccan fishery, and had reached stage 5. However, the FIP is now 'INACTIVE' as it did not meet reporting requirements.

Sardine in this stock area (Zones A + B) 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. 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. 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.A non-target species (bycatch) threshold of 3% of the total catch is set for the Moroccan small pelagic fisheries.Interactions of the Moroccan 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, albeit now inactive, 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 (Critically 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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