The “Smalls” Nephrops Grounds (FU22) 2018 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2019.

Abstract

This report provides the main results and findings of the thirteenth annual underwater television survey on the ‘Smalls grounds’ ICES assessment area; Functional Unit 22. The survey was multi-disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV, CTD and other ecosystem data. A total of 42 UWTV stations were surveyed successfully (good quality video footage), carried out over an isometric grid at 4.5nmi or 8.3km intervals. The precision, with a CV of 9%, was well below the upper limit of 20% recommended by SGNEPS (ICES, 2012). The 2018 abundance estimate was 45% lower than in 2017 and at 876 million is below the MSY Btrigger reference point (990 million). Using the 2018 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch of 2,084 tonnes and landings of 1,780 tonnes in 2019 when the MSY approach is applied (assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2015–2017). Two species of sea pens were recorded as present at the stations surveyed: Virgularia mirabilis and Pennatula phosphorea. Trawl marks were observed at 55% of the stations surveyed. Nine beam trawl tows were carried out, providing important data on the benthic communities and size structure of the Nephrops population.