Project
Assessment of pelagic fish stocks in the North Sea and North Atlantic

Data on population parameters of pelagic fish stocks (herring, mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting and sprat) in the North Sea and North Atlantic are combined with catch records and landings statistics and provide input for the fish stock assessments of ICES. The results of these calculations serve as a basis for sustainable fisheries management.
Background and Objective
We participate in the annual international programs to identify population parameters of the pelagic fish species herring, mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting and sprat in the North Sea and North Atlantic. These data are combined with catch records and landing statistics, catch and bycatch records and sampling information from the commercial fleet and provide input for the fish stock assessments of the international ICES working groups. The results of these calculations serve as a basis for political decisions in the framework of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and in international agreements. The aim of this task is to provide real-time information on the development of commercially exploited fish populations to facilitate a sustainable management of the resources.
Preliminary Results
The four most important fish species for the German fishery (in terms of landings) are pelagic species. In the North Sea and the Northeast Atlantic, the stocks of North Sea herring, Northeast Atlantic mackerel, western horse mackerel and blue whiting are of special interest for the fishery, which is mainly conducted by large pelagic freezer trawlers. For the first two stocks, management regimes have been internationally implemented over the last decade. Both stocks are in very good condition, and present catches are sustainable. The TI-SF participates in both most important surveys and a number of other international programs for the determination of fishery-independent parameters.
Links and Downloads
Involved Thünen-Partners
Involved external Thünen-Partners
- Internationaler Rat für Meeresforschung (ICES)
(Kopenhagen, Dänemark)
Duration
1.2001 - 12.2027
More Information
Project status:
ongoing
Publications
- 0
Pastoors M, Bleijenberg J, Brazier A, Campbell A, Costas G, Duncan R, Carvalho GF de, Grandal Rodriguez I, Hintzen N, Ibaibarriaga L, Kenyon S, Mendes H, Ourens R, Paradinas I, Quiroz J-C, Taylor I, Ulleweit J (2024) Benchmark workshop on horse mackerel and boarfish (WKBHMB). Copenhagen: ICES, viii, 296 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(8), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.25002482
- 1
Overzee HMJ van, Ulleweit J, Panten K, Bangma T (2024) Catch sampling of the pelagic freezer trawler fishery operating in European waters in 2021-2022: Joint report of the Dutch and German national on-board sampling programme. IJmuiden: Centre for Fisheries Research (CVO), 50 p, CVO Rep 24.001, DOI:10.18174/645872
- 2
Korta M, O'Hea B, Alvarez P, Blom E, Burns F, Costas G, Nijs L de, dos Santos Schmidt T, Garabana D, Holah H, Huwer B, Mann L, Angelico MM, Nash R, Núñez-Riboni I, Pan M, Riveiro I, Thorsen A, Tomkiewicz J, Ulleweit J, Damme CJG van (2024) Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (WGMEGS). Copenhagen: ICES, iii, 48 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(83), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.27029011
- 3
Stenevik EK, Alvarez P, Jacobsen JA, Berg F, Beukhof E, Bjarnason S, Bleijenberg J, Brunel T, Campbell A, Cebrián JL, Costas G, Domínguez R, Dubroca L, Egan A, Farrell E, Goncalves P, Henriksen O, Høines A, Homrum E, Ulleweit J, et al (2024) Working Group on Widely Distributed Stocks (WGWIDE). Copenhagen: ICES, ix, 913 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(81), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.26993227
- 4
Nash R, Secor DH, Bekkevold D, Bradley K, Brunel T, Burns F, Cadrin S, Campbell A, Costas G, Egan A, Farrell E, Carvalho GF de, Gatt I, Graham J, Gregory S, Harrison L, Hintzen N, Holt R, Stransky C, Ulleweit J, et al (2024) Workshop on the evaluation of NEA mackerel stock components (WKEVALMAC, outputs from 2023 meeting). Copenhagen: ICES, iii, 48 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(25), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.24216843
- 5
Costas G, O'Hea B, Alvarez P, Blom E, Burns F, dos Santos Schmidt T, Farrell E, Garabana D, Holah H, Huwer B, Eliasen SK, Korta M, Angelico MM, Nash R, Nunes C, Núñez-Riboni I, Politis SN, Riveiro I, Thorsen A, Ulleweit J, et al (2023) Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (WGMEGS). Copenhagen: ICES, 118 p, ICES Sci Rep 5(81), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.23790201
- 6
Costas G, O'Hea B, Alvarez P, Burns F, Eliasen S, Garabana D, Kloppmann MHF, Korta M, Krüger-Johnsen M, Mann L, Nash R, Riveiro I, Ulleweit J, Wieland K (2023) Working Group on Mackerel and Horse Mackerel Egg Surveys (WGMEGS; outputs form 2022 meeting). Copenhagen: ICES, 67 p, ICES Sci Rep 5(20), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.22128536
- 7
Stenevik EK, Berg F, Beukhof E, Bjarnason S, Bleijenberg J, Brunel T, Burns F, Campbell A, Costas G, Dubroca L, Duncan R, Egan A, Farrell E, Goncalves P, Henriksen O, Høines A, Homrum E, Jacobsen JA, Eliasen SK, Ulleweit J, et al (2023) Working Group on Widely Distributed Stocks (WGWIDE). Copenhagen: ICES, viii, 980 p, ICES Sci Rep 5(82), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.24025482
- 8
Ulleweit J, Overzee HMJ van, Bangma T (2022) Catch sampling of the pelagic freezer trawler fishery operating in European waters in 2019-2020: joint report of the Dutch and German national on-board sampling programmes. IJmuiden: Stichting Wageningen Research, Centre for Fisheries Research (CVO), 49 p, CVO Rep 22.008, DOI:10.18174/564918
- 9
Beukhof E, Bleijenberg J, Brazier A, Brunel T, Burns F, Campbell A, Campbell N, Codier A, Costas G, Dubroca L, Duncan R, Egan A, Eliasen S, Farrell E, Goncalves P, Henriksen O, Høines A, Holleland S, Homrum E, Ulleweit J (2022) Working Group on Widely Distributed Stocks (WGWIDE). Copenhagen: ICES, ix, 921 p, ICES Sci Rep 4(73), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.21088804