Management considerations

There is insufficient scientific information to establish the extent of putative stocks; however, greater silver smelt may be sufficiently isolated at separate fishing grounds to be considered as individual management units. On this basis advice is presented for the following management units:

• Subarea Va (Iceland); and
• Subareas I, II, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, and XIV, and Divisions IIIa and Vb (other areas). The latter grouping is a combination of isolated fishing grounds and these areas are thus grouped due to their mutual lack of data.

In order to evaluate the stock structure further, sampling for genetic studies from the whole distribution area of greater silver smelt is needed.

Greater silver smelt is a benthopelagic deep-water species and lives in schools close to the bottom.

Greater silver smelt is primarily fished in the depth range 100–700 m. Greater silver smelt is vulnerable to over-exploitation due to its low productivity (although not as low as for example orange roughy (ICES, 2006; Section 8.2.2). Greater silver smelt is particularly susceptible to rapid local depletion due to its highly aggregating behaviour.

Trends in landings are shown in Table 9.4.13.1 and Figure 9.4.13.1.