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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on April 25, 2007
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2007 64(4):707-713; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsm038
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© 2007 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

A meta-analysis of the status of ICES fish stocks during the past half century

Henrik Sparholt, Mette Bertelsen and Hans Lassen

ICES, HC Andersens Boulevard 44–46, 15533 Copenhagen V, Denmark

Correspondence to H. Sparholt: tel: +45 33 38 67 00; fax: +45 33 93 42 15;e-mail: henriks{at}ices.dk

Sparholt, H., Bertelsen, M., and Lassen, H. 2007. A meta-analysis of the status of ICES fish stocks during the past half century. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64: 707–713.

Based on a meta-analysis of time-series of stock size, recruitment, and fishing mortality, the general status of fish stocks within the ICES Area (i.e. the Northeast Atlantic) is evaluated. The analysis is based on data for 34 (7 pelagic, 27 demersal) commercial stocks. The stocks were selected based on the quality of the data and the length of the time-series. The analysis indicates that most pelagic stocks recovered to sustainable levels with high productivity after several had collapsed in the 1960s and 1970s. In contrast, most demersal stocks have continued to decline over the past half century and are now recruitment-overfished. By reducing fishing mortality on demersal stocks on average by half and building up the stocks by a factor of about two, management could be brought in line with international agreements. If recruitment-overfishing is avoided for all demersal stocks and discarding is minimized, their yield might be almost doubled over the current yield. Among the major management initiatives during the past half century, only the closure of the pelagic fisheries in the mid-1970s can be clearly identified in the time-series as having had a direct effect on stock status.

Keywords: fish, ICES, meta-analysis, status, stocks

Received 30 June 2006; accepted 6 February 2007; advance access publication 25 April 2007.


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