Evaluation of the 2008 Rebuilding Plan for Celtic Sea Herring

Abstract

This document outlines the evaluations conducted on the 2008 rebuilding plan for Celtic Sea and VIIj herring. Though the plan was evaluated by ICES, that evaluation was never subsequently published, nor does it appear in any ICES report. This document summarises the evaluation carried out by the Marine Institute, for ICES, and presents the independent reviews conducted on its behalf. It also eval-uates the subsequent performance of the plan. The ICES advice for 2007, 2008 and 2009 has been that there should be no targeted fishing without a rebuilding plan. In 2008, the CSHMAC presented a rebuilding plan to the European Commission and Council, via the recently established Pelagic Re-gional Advisory Council (PRAC). The plan was not formally adopted, but the TAC for 2009 was con-sistent with the plan. Subsequently, in early 2009, the plan was recognised by the European Commis-sion. The plan was developed during a series of iterations, through discussions between industry representatives and scientists, within the CSHMAC. The final plan consisted of a Harvest Control Rule (HCR), a formalised decision rule defining the level of F to be applied in future, given the current position of SSB and F relative to their reference values. The proposal was forwarded to the Pelagic Advisory Council where it was endorsed before being sent for consideration by the European authorities. The European Commission considered the plan to be worthy of being evaluated by ICES. It was adopted for TAC setting for 2009, by the European Council of Ministers and was sent for evaluation by ICES for conformity with the Precautionary Approach to Fisheries Management (PAFM).