The herring fisheries on the South and south West coats 1976-77

Abstract

The quantities and values of herring landed during the 1976/77 herring season off the south coast and during the July to November period off the south west coast are reviewed. In both areas there was a further serious decline in the catch - mainly due to a continuing very poor rate of recruitment of young herring to the adult stock. In the Celtic Sea the total international catch during 1976/77 was only 7,000 tonnes compared with 48,000 tonnes in 1969, while the total Irish catch of approximately 3,000 tonnes was the lowest since the mid-fifties. The immediate aim of any management policy for the Celtic Sea herring stock must be to rebuild it to a level of at least 40,000 tomes. It is, at present, estimated to be below 10,000 tonnes. This can only be done by having a complete ban on all herring fishing in the Celtic Sea until 1980 at least.