Herring ( Clupea harengus) is the second most important species landed by the Scottish pelagic fleet. It is mainly caught for human consuption by vessels towing large pelagic mid-water trawls, with very little by-catch of other fish.
| 2011 position: | UK share 29,832 tonnes |
| Last year: | 24,223 tonnes |
| Landed into Scotland in 2009: | 10,249 tonnes |
| Value for 2009: | £3.3 million |
MSY and Precautionary Approach Reference Points
| Type | Value |
MSY Approach | MSY Btrigger | 1.3 million t |
FMSY | 0.25 |
Precautionary Approach | Blim | 800,000 t |
Bpa | 1.3 million t |
Flim | Not defined |
Fpa | F0-1= 0.12 F2-6= 0.25 |
State of Stock and Advice
- Fishing mortality in 2009 was estimated at 0.027 for juvenile fish (0-1 year old) and 0.112 for adult fish (2-6 year old): this means that less than 3%, by number, of juvenile (0-1 year old) fish and approximately 10%, by number, of adult (2-6 year old) fish were caught.
- Spawning stock biomass was predicted to be at 1.3 million tonnes in 2010, equal to Bpa.
- Fishing mortality and biomass are below and at, respectively, the precautionary limits. Fishing mortality is below the level which is consistent with achieving maximum sustainable yield ( F2009< FMSY).
- The advice is in accordance with the multi-annual management plan which recommends that landings in 2011 should be 188,900 tonnes for the main North Sea fleet and 16,200 tonnes for the small mesh industrial fleet.
Management Outcomes for 2011
At the December 2010 meeting in Brussels, the Council of Ministers decided that the international Total Allowable Catch for North Sea herring (north of 53 o 30' N) in 2011 should be 200,000 tonnes. The UK quota has been set at 29,832 tonnes. The increase of the international TAC is around 22%, greater than the 15% stipulated in the management plan.
Information Source: ICES advice 2010 ( http://www.ices.dk/committe/acom/comwork/report/2010/2010/her-47d3.pdf).