Harvest control rule adopted for Golden redfish
Harvest control rule for Golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) has been adopted by Icelandic authorities (March 2014) for the next period of five fishing years, starting from the 2014/15 fishing year. The harvest control rule will be reviewed by the end of this period.
According to information on the website of the Ministry of Industries and Innovation, the management strategy for golden redfish (Sebastes marinus) is to maintain the exploitation rate at the rate which is consistent with the precautionary approach and that generates maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in the long term.
The biomass limit reference point (Blim) in the management plan is based on the lowest observed biomass (Bloss) in the 2012 assessment. Its value is 160 thousand tonnes. The updated assessment results in a less than 10% lower Bloss. The Btrigger reference point is set in the management plan using the Blim as a basis and accounting for the assessment error, resulting in a Btrigger of 220 thousand tonnes. The spawning-stock biomass has been above Btrigger since 2007.
The Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, having obtained the recommendations of the Marine Research Institute, shall issue a regulation determining the total allowable catch (TAC) to be caught for a designated period or fishing season from the individual exploitable marine stocks in Icelandic waters for which it is deemed necessary to limit the catch. Harvest rights provided for by law 116/2006 are calculated on the basis of this amount.