F MSY is good 0.9 F MSY is better 0.9 MSY is best

Towards Healthy Fish Stocks and Profitable Fisheries in Europe Rainer Froese IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany EC, 22 June 2010, Brussels

What is a Stock? A stock is the exploited part of a population of fishes The total weight of the stock is called biomass (B) SSB is the Spawning Stock Biomass, i.e., the total weight of the adults

Sardine Biscay and off Portugal ICES 2010

What is MSY? MSY is the Maximum Sustainable Yield MSY is the maximum catch that the stock can deliver on a regular basis Catches above MSY shrink the stock

Cod, Eastern Baltic MSY Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

What is B MSY ? B MSY is the stock size that can produce the maximum sustainable yield B MSY is the central reference point of the Law of the Sea and UNFSA (1995) with regard to fisheries Stock biomass BDepletedUnfished B MSY Can produce MSY Can not produce MSY

Cod, Eastern Baltic B MSY MSY Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

What the hell is F? F is the rate by which fish are removed from the stock by fishing (fishing mortality) F can be translated into the percentage of the stock that is taken by the fishery F %

What is F MSY ? F MSY is the fishing mortality that will lead to B MSY F < F MSY leads to stock sizes above B MSY F > F MSY shrinks the stock below B MSY F MSY % Greenland halibut Cod, herringSandeel Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

Cod, Eastern Baltic F MSY B MSY Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

What is the biomass of European stocks relative to B MSY ?

Biomass of European Stocks Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

What is the fishing mortality of European stocks relative to F MSY

Fishing Pressure on European Stocks Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

What are the landings relative to MSY?

Landings and Biomass of European Stocks in 2007 Froese et al., submitted

Will Europe be able to rebuild its stocks by 2015?

Rebuilding European Fish Stocks Average size of 54 European fish stocks (bold blue line). The upper arrow indicates the path, if 75% of the stocks were to reach the internationally agreed target in The lower arrow shows the current trend. Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

Will Europe be able to rebuild its stocks by 2015? NO

Will Europe be able to at least reduce fishing mortality to F MSY by 2015?

Fishing Pressure on European Fish Stocks Average fishing pressure on 54 European fish stocks. The lower arrow indicates the path if 75% of the stocks were to be fished at the maximum sustainable rate in However, with the current trend that target will be missed by more than 30 years. Damanaki proposal Froese & Proelß Fish & Fisheries 2010

Will Europe be able to at least reduce fishing mortality to F MSY by 2015? YES If the Damanaki proposal succeeds

F MSY is good 0.9 F MSY is better 0.9 MSY is best because it leads to the biomass that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (Damanaki proposal)

Why is 0.9 F MSY better than F MSY ? Because it increases stock size to 30% above B MSY Because larger stock size means lower cost of fishing -> Maximum Economic Yield Because international agreements (UNFSA 1995) asks for F target < F MSY Because the precautionary principle demands a safety distance to F MSY and B MSY

F MSY is good 0.9 F MSY is better 0.9 MSY is best because it leads to larger stocks, larger profits, more safety, and compliance with international agreements because it leads to the biomass that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (Damanaki proposal)

Why is 0.9 MSY better than 0.9 F MSY ? Because 0.9 MSY has all the advantages of 0.9 F MSY In addition 0.9 MSY avoids exceeding MSY (F MSY will do that, thereby creating an incentive for overcapacity) 0.9 MSY provides stability for the industry (same landings as long as B > B MSY ) 0.9 MSY is a simple, transparent rule that is easily communicated to stakeholders

0.9 MSY Harvest Control Rule Move stocks here. Landings may then be 60% higher Froese et al., submitted

F MSY is good 0.9 F MSY is better 0.9 MSY is best because it leads to larger stocks, larger profits, more safety, and compliance with international agreements Because, in addition to the previous, it avoids overcapacity, provides stability for the industry, and is easy to understand Thank You Rainer Froese, IFM-GEOMAR because it leads to the biomass that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (Damanaki proposal)