Scottish Government

Improve the state of Scotland's marine environment

DESCRIPTION:

The indicator is measured by the proportion of Scotland's key commercial fish stocks where the quota (Total Allowable Catch (TAC)) was set in line with scientific guidance.

The indicator provides a measure of Scotland’s success in establishing EU-wide TAC limits at levels which ensure the sustainability and profitability of the 13 key Scottish commercial fisheries.

SOURCE:

The information used to calculate the indicator comes from three sources as follows:

1) The source for the landings data (value of catch of Scottish vessels by quota species in £million) is the annual Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics publication, produced by Marine Scotland in Scottish Government. This is a National Statistics publication and, as such, undergoes regular quality assurance reviews.

The publication is accessible on the Scottish Government's website:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries/PubFisheries

Provisional figures for each year are published in May in the following year, while final data are published in September.

2) The scientific advice for setting TACs comes from International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Advice from ICES provides a best practice guideline figure for TAC in tonnes for each quota stock. This figure based on best international scientific knowledge on safe biological limits for individual stocks but is not a National Statistic.

Up-to-date ICES scientific advice is published on the ICES website:

http://ices.dk/community/advisory-process/Pages/Latest-advice.aspx

Some key Scottish commercial stocks currently lack the scientific data to allow identification of safe biological limits. In such cases, a precautionary approach is applied in setting the TAC.  On-going research and monitoring on those stocks should allow the identification of these limits in due course.

3) The final TAC set for each stock following the annual quota negotiations process is decided by the Council of Ministers in Brussels. The EU provides the data on these in the published fishing opportunities regulation (the ‘TAC and Quota Regulation’).

Calculation of this indicator uses quota (Total Allowable Catch (TAC)) information and landing figures (the value of the catch) for Scotland's key commercial fish stocks. The value of the fish stocks for which the TAC was set in line with scientific guidance is summed and this total is then divided by the total value of catch for all the stocks under consideration to yield the individual year percentage.

A centred three year average is calculated as the sum of the value of those fish stocks for which the TAC was set in line with scientific guidance divided by the total value of catch for all the stocks over the same period. This centred three year average is used as the indicator's value.

Indicator = ((value of catch landed by Scottish fishing vessels of key Scottish stocks where the TAC limit is consistent with the scientific guidance) / (total value of all the key Scottish stocks landed by Scottish vessels)) multiplied by 100, calculated on a centred three-year average.

The indicator is generally updated twice a year to reflect:

1) publication of provisional landings data and new TAC limits being set and so information becoming available on whether the TAC for each stock was set within scientific guidance (April);

2) publication of final landings data (September).

Consequently changes in the indicator from one year to the next can occur due to changes in whether the TAC for each stock was set within the scientific guidance, and/or changes in the weightings due to use of landings data for a different year.

If final or provisional landings data for a particular year are not yet published, that year's landings data are estimated by the most recently published sea fisheries statistics.

DEFINITIONS:

'Key Scottish commercial fish stocks' : Key commercial fish stocks, listed below, subject to quota limitations.

·North Sea Herring, · West of Scotland Herring, · Atlanto-Scandian Herring, · North Sea Cod, · West of Scotland Cod, · North Sea Haddock, · West of Scotland Haddock, · Rockall Haddock, · North Sea Monkfish, · West of Scotland Monkfish, · North Sea Nephrops, · West of Scotland Nephrops, · North-East Atlantic Mackerel

'Total Allowable Catch (TAC)': Limit of annual EU catch allowed for species caught in particular sea areas (quota stock) set each year by the EU Council of Ministers, based on scientific advice from ICES, though not necessarily following the recommended limits.

'stocks at full reproductive capacity and harvested sustainably' : advice from ICES indicates for each fish quota stock a TAC limit which, if adhered to, would ensure optimal numbers of fish able to breed and which would allow harvesting at a rate that optimises the economic benefits.

'Scottish vessels': fishing vessels whose port of administration is in Scotland.

BASELINE AND PAST TRENDS:

The baseline year is 2006 as this is the last data point before the start of the first term of the current administration. The baseline figure is 60%.

Percentage of the total value of key commercial sea fish stocks where the total allowable catch (TAC) limit is consistent with scientific advice, calculated over a centred three year average:

CRITERIA FOR RECENT CHANGE ARROW:

This evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 3 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 3 percentage points or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 3 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.

For information on general methodological approach, please click here.

FUTURE ISSUES OR REVIEWS:

No issues.

ASSOCIATED TARGET:

Target: Ensure 70% key commercial fish stocks at full reproductive capacity and harvested sustainably by 2016.

End point: 2016 data point