© 2005 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
Evolution of the state of fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic within a precautionary framework, 1970–2003: a synoptic evaluation
FAO Fisheries Department Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
*Correspondence to S. M. Garcia: tel: +39 065 705 6467; fax: +39 065 705 3020. e-mail: serge.garcia{at}fao.org.
The state and trajectory of some of the stocks assessed by ICES in the North Atlantic in the period 1970–2003 are synoptically represented on a single system of representation of fishing mortality and biomass with precautionary reference points used as limits and thresholds. The results indicate that for nearly 30 years, the status of the stocks in relation to the precautionary reference points has been degrading in terms of spawning biomass and excess fishing mortality, driving most resources down close to and often beyond those reference points. The situation seems to have improved during the past decade, with some exceptions, as shown by progressive shift of the mean position of the stocks away from excessive mortality (since the early 1990s) and, after a time-lag, away from low biomass (since the early 2000s). The proposed representation system sticks to the reference points and value judgements used in the ICES context, but could be used with any equivalent precautionary system of representation.
Keywords: communication, fishery management, ICES, indicators, precaution
Received 11 November 2004; accepted 18 May 2005.
1 The views expressed are those of the authors and may not reflect the position of FAO.
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