|
| Marine Resource Fact Sheet |
| |
| Anchovy - Northern Spain, 2010 |
 | Engraulis encrasicolus - Northern Spain |
| | Owned by | General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) More |
|
| Related observations | Locate in inventory | | | | Species: | | FAO Names : en - European anchovy, fr - Anchois, es - Boquerón |
|
|
| Geographic extent of Anchovy - Northern Spain
Map tips
- Click on
 to turn layers on and off
- Double-click to zoom in
- Drag to pan
- Hold down the shift key and drag to zoom to a particular region
 | GFCM geographical sub-areas |
|---|
| 6 | Northern Spain |
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| Main Descriptors | Considered a single stock: Biological Stock
Spatial Scale: Sub-Regional
|
| Considered a single stock: A group of individuals in a species occupying a well defined spatial range independent of other stocks of the same species. It can be affected by random dispersal movements and directed migrations due to seasonal or reproductive activity. |
| Spatial Scale: Spatial scale contains a standard term such as Global, Regional (e.g. for the whole Atlantic), sub-regional (e.g. for a part of the Atlantic), national, local (for sub-national levels). |
| Considered a management unit: An aquatic resource or fishery is
declared as [Fishery] Management Unit if it is
effectively the focus for the application of selected
management methods and measures, within the broader
framework of a management system. According to the FAO
Glossary for Responsible Fishing, "a Fishery Management
Unit (FMU) is a fishery or a portion of a fishery
identified in a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) relevant
to the FMP's management objectives." FMU's may be
organised around fisheries biological, geographic,
economic, technical, social or ecological dimensions ,
and the makeup and attribute of a fishery management
unit depends mainly on the FMP's management
objectives. |
| Jurisdictional distribution: Jurisdictional qualifier (e.g.
"shared", "shared - highly migratory") of the aquatic
resource related with its spatial distribution. |
| Environmental group: Classification of the aquatic
resource according to the environmental group (e.g.
pelagic invertebrate, or demersal fish) to which the
species belong. |
| | | | | | Habitat and Biology Climatic zone: Temperate. Horizontal distribution: Neritic. Vertical distribution: Pelagic. Geographical Distribution Jurisdictional distribution: Straddling between High Seas and EEZ Water Area Overview Spatial Scale: Sub-Regional Northern SpainGeo References | | Geographic extent of Anchovy - Northern Spain
| GFCM geographical sub-areas | 6: Northern Spain |
| | | | | | Other georeferences
| FAO Fishing Statistical Division Areas | 37.1.1: Balearic |
| | | | | | Intersecting Major FAO areas and LME areas |
The following area codes have been found as intersecting the distribution of Anchovy - Northern Spain Resource Structure Considered a single stock: Aq Res Struct Exploitation Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) are the main target species of the purse seine fleet operating in the geographical sub-area GSA06, but other species with lower economical importance are also caught, sometimes representing a high percentage of the capture as horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.), mackerel (Scomber spp.) and gilt sardine (Sardinella aurita). Fishing is carried out 5 days a week and the time at sea is 12 hours per day. No fishing is allowed at weekend. The minimum landing size is 9 cm, although some landings are under minimum size in some specific ports. There are several technical measures regulations (gear and mesh size, engine, GTR, etc.) There is also a temporary fishing closure (from 1st December to 31st January). From official data, the total purse seine fleet of the whole GSA 06 (Northern Spain) is made up by 130 units: 3% are smaller than 12 m in length, 83% between 12 and 24 m and 13% larger than 24 m. The fleet continuously decreased in the last decade, from more than 222 vessels in 1995 to 130 in 2010. This strong reduction is possibly linked to a continuous decline of small pelagic catches. Assessment Data Landings, length and biological samplings were obtained from Official Statistics, IEO (Instituto Español de Oceanografía) Sampling Network and dedicated Acoustic Surveys. Assessment Model Type: Age-structured Extended survivors analysis (XSA) Methodology VPA Lowestoft software suite and FLR (Fisheries Library in R) were used with XSA assessment method. Results Landings in 2010 were 8 399 t, showing a slight decrease from 2009 (9 814 t). The time series shows a soft increasing trend because this is the second high value from 2008 (the lowest one). There is no very much variability in the fishing mortality in the last few years so is is necessary to have a longer time series to compare. Recruitment in 2010 (R = 2 013 millions) is similar to 2009 (2 021 millions). The trend of the recruitments is as important as they can affect seriously to the stock health. Both Total Biomass (3 7039 t) and Spawning Stock Biomass (22 980 t) in 2010 show a slight decrease. Scientific Advice For management considerationA longer time series for landings or length distributions should be used; A specific Age-Lenght Key (ALK) for the stock is necessary; An ecological analysis is suggested to validate the similarity of the nearest stock (GSA01) to use a common ALK for both areas. Following a precautionary approach, the final recommendation is not to increase current fishing mortality levels until a clear indication of a higher stable biomass that can sustain higher exploitation rates is observed. Biological State and Trend Exploitation state: Fully exploitedExploitation rate: High fishing mortality
Abundance level: Intermediate abundance This stock is considered as fully exploited with a low abundance compared with the extent of the area. The assessment is based in estimated values of biomass from the survey and for fourteen years the biomass have been stable, with small fluctuations which do not seem to follow the same trend as the fishing mortality. A formal reference point is not available and the time series used in the assessment is short. However, when comparing with published data on biomass estimates for anchovy in GSA06, the biomass seem to be fairly stable, although at a low overall biomass level in relation to some high biomass estimates obtained early in the 90’s. Source of information Report of the Working Group on Stock Assessment of Small Pelagic Species. FAO-GFCM Chania, Crete (Greece) 24-29 October 2011. 2011 FAO  . |
|
| |
|
