Aq Res State Trend
Fcur/F0.1: Ratio between the observed fishing mortality coefficient during the last year of the series and F0.1.
Fcur/FSYcur: Ratio between the observed fishing mortality coefficient during the last year of the series and the coefficient that would give a sustainable yield at the current biomass level.
Fcur/FMSY: Ratio between the observed fishing mortality coefficient during the last year of the series and the coefficient that would give a maximum sustainable yield over the long term.
Bcur/B0.1: Ratio between the estimated biomass for the last year and the biomass corresponding to F0.1.
Habitat Bio
Climatic Zone: Temperate; Tropical. Depth Zone: Coastal (0 m - 50 m); Shelf (50 m - 200 m); Slope (200 m - 1000 m). Horizontal Dist: Neritic; Oceanic. Vertical Dist: Pelagic.
Geo Dist
Geo Dist: Shared between nations
Bio Assess
Assessment year: 2021
The CECAF Working Groups have adopted the following Biological Reference Points (BRPs):
- Limit Reference points: BMSY and FMSY
- Target Reference Points: B0.1 and F0.1
Stock status is assigned based on current estimates of fishing mortality (Fcur) and biomass (Bcur) relative to these target and limit reference points (Bcur/BMSY, Fcur/FMSY, Bcur/B0.1, Fcur/F0.1). The results from the stock assessment of this stock are found under the “Biological state and trend section”.
Assess Models
Type: Biomass-aggregated
Schaefer dynamic production model
Assess Models
Type: Age-structured
Extended Survivor Analysis (XSA)
Integrated Catch at Age (ICA) model
Sci Advice
The Working Group concluded, based on the results of the production model and other analytical models, that the stock is fully exploited. The results of the projections show that the current level of capture is not sustainable and would induce a decrease in spawning biomass and target biomass (B0.1). To this end, the Working Group recommends curbing the general upward trend in catches and recommends, as a precaution, renewing the recommendation made in previous years, namely limiting the maximum catch to 340 000 tonnes, which corresponds to a 29 percent reduction from catches recorded across the subregion in 2021. In addition, the Working Group has observed for several years a significant fishing of juveniles, which have not yet reached their first maturity, and recommends the implementation of urgent measures (spatio-temporal measures, revision of the minimum size of the catch on landing, etc.) aimed at reducing the fishing mortality exerted on this vulnerable fraction of the stock in order to improve its biological productivity.
Sources
FAO. 2022. Meeting summary of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish off Northwest Africa. Nouakchott, Mauritania, 5-9 December 2022. CECAF/SSCIX/2022/4a.
https://www.fao.org/3/cc3286b/cc3286b.pdf Bibliography
All references to figures, tables and bibliography in the text are found within the source of information.