FIRMS - Marine Resource fact sheets - American Plaice

American Plaice - Flemish Cap

Fact Sheet Title Fact Sheet

Stocks management recommendations 2023

American Plaice - Flemish Cap

American plaice in Div. 3M

Owned by

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) – ownership

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Species List:

Hippoglossoides platessoides

Species Ref: en - Amer. plaice(=Long rough dab), fr - Balai(=Plie canadienne), es - Platija americana, ar - هوشع كندي, zh - 拟庸鲽, ru - Камбала-ерш

ident Block American Plaice - Flemish Cap

Map legend

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Aq Res
Biological Stock: Yes Value: Regional Management unit: Yes Reference year: 2022

Table of Contents

Habitat Bio - Geo Dist - Water Area Overview - Management - Aq Res State Trend - Bio Assess - Exploit - Sources

Aq Res State Trend

Aq Res State Trend
	Aq Res State Trend	Aq Res State Trend
Aq Res State Trend	None-Low Fishing Mortality	No or low fishing mortality	ⓘ
Aq Res State Trend	Depleted Stock Size	Depleted	ⓘ

The stock has increased in recent years following two recruitment pulses in 2008-2012 and 2015-2018, and recovered to levels similar to the mid-1990s. However, recruitment has been poor since 2018 while relative F remains low.

Habitat Bio

Climatic Zone: Temperate. Bottom Type: Unspecified. Depth Zone: Slope - Deepslope (500 m - 1000 m). Horizontal Dist: Oceanic. Vertical Dist: Demersal/Benthic.

Geo Dist

Geo Dist: High Seas Purely

Water Area Overview

Spatial Scale: Regional

Water Area Overview

Aq Res Struct

Biological Stock: Yes

Exploit

American plaice is caught as bycatch in otter trawl fisheries, mainly the cod and redfish fisheries. From 1979 to 1993 a TAC of 2 000 tonnes was in effect for this stock. A reduction to 1 000 tonnes was agreed for 1994 and 1995 and a moratorium was agreed to thereafter.

Recent catch estimates and TACs (‘000 tonnes) are as follows:

Ecosystem sustainability of catches

3M American plaice is included in the benthivore guild of the Flemish Cap (3M) Ecosystem Production Unit (EPU). The other NAFO managed stock in this guild and EPU is 3M shrimp. The Catch/TCI is below the 2TCI ecosystem reference point (3M Benthivore Catch2022/TCI=0.01) indicating a low risk of ecosystem overfishing.

Bio Assess

Results

Ref Point

No reference points have been defined.

Projection

Quantitative assessment of risk at various catch options is not possible at this time.

Assess Models

Analytical assessment

Results

This assessment is based upon a qualitative evaluation of research vessel survey series and bycatch data from commercial fisheries.

The next full assessment is planned for 2026.

Fishing Mortality

Recruitment

Biomass

Human impact

Mainly fishery related mortality. Other sources (e.g. pollution, shipping, oil-industry) are undocumented.

Biological and environmental interactions

The stock occurs mainly at depths shallower than 600 m on Flemish Cap. Main stomach contents are echinoderms, shrimp and hyperiids.

The Flemish Cap (3M) Ecosystem Production Unit (EPU) has not experienced sustained reductions in overall productivity observed in other EPUs. With the exception of a short-lived increase in 2005-2009, total EPU biomass has remained fairly stable over time despite the changes in individual stocks.

Management

Management unit: Yes

Advice

Recommendation for 2024 - 2026

The stock has recovered to the levels of the mid 1990s, however, recruitment has been poor since 2018. SC considers that there is not sufficient supporting evidence that the stock would be able to sustain a fishery at this time and recommends that there be no directed fishing in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Bycatch should be kept at the lowest possible level.

Objectives

No explicit management plan or management objectives defined by the Commission. Convention general principles are applied.

Stock definition for management purposes

The American plaice stock in Flemish Cap (Div. 3M) is considered to be a distinct population.

Sources

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Scientific Council Documents. SCR Doc. 23/003, 23/024, 20/39 and SCS Doc. 23/13, 22/13, 21/05, 21/09.

https://www.nafo.int/Library/Science/SC-Documents

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). 2023. Report of the Scientific Council Meeting, 2 – 15 June, 2023. NAFO SCS Doc. 23/18.

https://www.nafo.int/Portals/0/PDFs/sc/2023/scs23-18.pdf

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). 2008. Resolution on the Interpretation and Implementation of the Convention on the Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries. 30th Annual Meeting, September 2008. NAFO/GC Doc. 08/3.

https://www.nafo.int/Portals/0/PDFs/gc/2008/gcdoc08-03.pdf

Fisheries and Resources Monitoring System