| Year | Nr. Bottom Trawl | Nr. Other | Nr. Long Line | Nr. Danish Seine | Bottom Trawl | Other | Long Line | Danish Seine | Total catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 86 | 103 | 170 | 25 | 1088 | 23 | 157 | 76 | 1344 |
| 2001 | 76 | 129 | 139 | 25 | 929 | 66 | 114 | 64 | 1173 |
| 2002 | 88 | 133 | 116 | 18 | 1068 | 48 | 90 | 93 | 1299 |
| 2003 | 72 | 111 | 133 | 27 | 733 | 37 | 153 | 102 | 1025 |
| 2004 | 68 | 110 | 142 | 25 | 704 | 26 | 224 | 84 | 1038 |
| 2005 | 77 | 107 | 171 | 34 | 518 | 11 | 205 | 63 | 797 |
| 2006 | 62 | 106 | 189 | 37 | 467 | 23 | 460 | 100 | 1050 |
| 2007 | 66 | 86 | 216 | 43 | 767 | 26 | 394 | 71 | 1258 |
| 2008 | 77 | 95 | 235 | 49 | 950 | 30 | 557 | 151 | 1688 |
| 2009 | 77 | 221 | 244 | 60 | 1439 | 45 | 520 | 303 | 2307 |
| 2010 | 63 | 276 | 212 | 50 | 2192 | 42 | 425 | 191 | 2850 |
| 2011 | 65 | 263 | 219 | 43 | 2486 | 24 | 345 | 109 | 2964 |
| 2012 | 65 | 263 | 223 | 45 | 956 | 19 | 320 | 174 | 1469 |
| 2013 | 53 | 234 | 218 | 41 | 659 | 7 | 255 | 62 | 983 |
| 2014 | 52 | 174 | 208 | 32 | 643 | 7 | 207 | 73 | 930 |
| 2015 | 44 | 160 | 186 | 30 | 675 | 4 | 116 | 65 | 860 |
| 2016 | 41 | 114 | 174 | 30 | 559 | 2 | 104 | 69 | 734 |
| 2017 | 34 | 64 | 147 | 24 | 401 | 1 | 108 | 43 | 553 |
| 2018 | 38 | 37 | 115 | 21 | 688 | 1 | 61 | 67 | 817 |
| 2019 | 47 | 64 | 109 | 26 | 605 | 1 | 93 | 61 | 760 |
| 2020 | 47 | 61 | 102 | 20 | 548 | 2 | 67 | 18 | 635 |
| 2021 | 48 | 103 | 93 | 25 | 820 | 3 | 59 | 71 | 953 |
| 2022 | 48 | 101 | 78 | 26 | 631 | 3 | 67 | 72 | 773 |
| 2023 | 49 | 159 | 65 | 30 | 957 | 12 | 112 | 64 | 1145 |
| 2024 | 49 | 105 | 63 | 23 | 600 | 4 | 87 | 46 | 737 |
Key signals
Since the initiation of the spring survey in 1985, survey biomass has peaked approximately every 15 years — first in 1990, followed by a larger peak in 2005, and the highest peak in 2024.
Recruitment has followed a similar pattern, with peaks occurring one to three years before the corresponding peaks in the total biomass index.
Spawning stock biomass (SSB) has been above \(I_{trigger}\) since 2017.
Fishing pressure has been below \(F_{proxy,MSY}\) since 2017.
General information
Whiting is a demersal gadoid species like cod and haddock, but smaller with a maximum length of about 80 cm, males and females being similar in size. In Icelandic waters, sexual maturity is reached at around 30 cm.
The Fishery
Whiting has been caught mainly as bycatch all around Iceland in recent years, though mostly around south and west of Iceland (Figure 1 and Figure 2). Annual catches have been between 500 and 1000 tonnes except for 2008-2012 when catches increased with a peaked in 2011 at 2602 tonnes (Figure 2). Increased catches in this period occurred almost exclusively in the southwest (Figure 2). In 2021 and 2023, catches were slightly higher than adjacent years, or similar to 2013, but otherwise lower (Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 6). Whiting is found at depths ranging from 10 to 300 m but is mostly caught between 100 and 250 m (Figure 3).
Whiting is mainly caught in demersal trawls but to some extent in Nephrops trawls, longline and demersal seine (Table 1, Figure 4). The number of boats reporting whiting catches increased with increased catches between 2007 and 2012 but has since then decreased and were lowest in 2016 (Figure 5).
Length Distributions from commercial catches of whiting
Samples from commercial catches are mostly collected in the sout west, where whiting is most abundant (Figure 6). Length measurements from commercial catches are scarce and missing for some years, but show substantial recruitment in 1980, 1996, 2007 and 2019 (Figure 7). Most whiting caught in the commercial fishery are 38-55 cm.
Survey Data
Annual Icelandic groundfish surveys have been conducted in March (IS-SMB) since 1985 and October (IS-SMH) since 1996. Both surveys cover the distribution area of whiting on Icelandic grounds. For monitoring, harvestable biomass and recruitment indices were estimated for both surveys (Figure 8). The harvestable biomass index is calculated as the biomass of individuals 40 cm and larger. The recruitment index is defined as whiting smaller than 20 cm.
Both the total biomass index and harvestable biomass index in IS-SMB increased from 2003 to a maximum in 2005 but decreased to a low level in 2015 (Figure 8). Since then, both indices have increased, and harvestable biomass was approaching the highest value in the timeseries (1990) in 2024 but decreased substantially in the most recent year. The biomass indices from IS-SMH are much more variable but show similar trends as IS-SMB. Recruitment indices show similar trends in both surveys (Figure 8). Strong recruitment was observed in 2003, 2007 and 2019-2021 in IS-SMH and in 2004, 2008 and 2021-2022 in IS-SMB. These peaks can be observed in the length distributions (Figure 9), and in the harvestable biomass indices 2-3 years later.
Spatial distribution of whiting from the spring survey is similar to what is observed in commercial catches, that is, mostly in the south of Iceland (Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 10 and Figure 11). The autumn survey however shows the highest indices in a larger area, southeast, southwest, and west (Figure 12 and Figure 13). The recent increase in the biomass indices has mostly taken place in the southeast and southwest areas (Figure 11 and Figure 13).
Stock assessment
The assessment is for this stock based on ICES constant harvest rate \((chr)\)-rule for data limited stocks, where a constant harvest rate (Fproxy,MSY), that can be considered a proxy for harvest rate at maximum sustainable yield, is applied to the spawning stock biomass index (ICES 2025). The \(\text{chr}\)-rule has the following form:
\[A_{y + 1} = I_{y}\ F_{\text{proxy},\text{MSY}}\ b\ m\]
where \(A_{y + 1}\) is the advised catch, \(I_{y - 1}\) is the last year’s index, \(F_{proxy,MSY}\) is the fishing pressure proxy at MSY, \(b\) is a biomass safeguard (reducing the catch when biomass index drops below a trigger value) and m is a multiplier that is applied to maintain the probability of the biomass declining below \(B_{\lim}\) under 5%.
\(F_{\text{proxy},\text{MSY}}\) is the ratio of the catch and index for the set of historical years (U) where \(f\) > 1:
\[F_{\text{proxy},\text{MSY}} = \frac{1}{u}\begin{matrix} \sum_{y \in U}^{}\frac{C_{y}}{I_{y}} \\ \end{matrix}\]
\(f\) is the length-ratio component where:
\[f = \frac{{\overline{L}}_{y - 1}}{L_{F = M}}\]
where \(\overline{L}\) is is the mean catch length above \(L_{F = M}\).
\(L_{F = M}\) is calculated as:
\[L_{F = M} = 0.75L_{c} + 0.25L_{\infty}\]
where \(L_{c}\) is the length where frequency is half that of the modal value (Figure 14), and L∞ is von Bertalanffy L∞.
\(b\) is the biomass safeguard and is used to reduce catch advice when index falls below trigger,
\[b = \min\left( 1,I_{y} - 1/I_{\text{trigger}} \right)\]
where \(I_{\text{trigger}}\) = \(i_{\text{loss}} \bullet 1.4\)
\(m\) is a multiplier based on stock growth. \(K\) for whiting could not be estimated reliably since the most recent data is from 1973 and hence, K from other areas was used instead. K for whiting is 0.38 and therefore \(m\) is 0.5 (0.32 <K < 0.45 yr-1).
Analysis on the assessment and advice
The assessment is based on the chr-rule for ICES category 3 data-limited stocks and is applied for the fishing year (2025/2026). The Icelandic spring trawl survey (IS-SMB) for individuals ≥40 cm was used as the spawning stock biomass index. The advice is according to Ay+1 = Iy-1 \(F_{proxy,MSY}\) b m which result in advice that differs more than -30% from last year’s advice and hence, the stability clause is applied (Table 2).
Ay: Catch advice for 2024/2025 | 1 571 |
Biomass index | |
Latest index value (I2025) | 11 543 |
Fishing pressure proxy** | |
FMSY proxy: MSY proxy harvest rate (average of the ratio of catch to biomass index for the years for which f>1, where f = Lmean/ LF = γM,K = ϴM ) | 0.173 |
Biomass safeguard | |
Index trigger value (Itrigger=Iloss*1.4) | 1 812 |
b: Index relative to trigger value, min{I2025/Itrigger, 1} | 1 |
Precautionary multiplier to maintain biomass above Blim with 95% probability | |
m: Multiplier (generic multiplier based on life history) | 0.5 |
Advice calculation1) | 999 |
Uncertainty cap (+20% / -30% compared to Ay, only applied if b>1) | 1 |
Catch advice for 2025/2026 | 1 100 |
% advice change2) | -30 |
1) A~y+1~ = I~y~ × F~MSY proxy~ × b × m, limited by stability clause | |
2) The figures in the table are rounded. Calculations were done with unrounded inputs, and compared values may not match exactly when calculated using the rounded figures in the table. | |
Application of THE CHR-rule
- f is the length-ratio component. The annual mean length from catches and the target reference length (Lc, the length where frequency is half that of the modal value * 0.75 + L∞ * 0.25, Table 2). \(F_{proxy,MSY}\) is calculated as \(F_{proxy}\) for years when f>1 (Figure 16).
b is the biomass safeguard and is used to reduce catch advice when index falls below trigger. Iloss for whiting is based on the lowest biomass index and Itrigger is Iloss *1.4 (Figure 15). The biomass index this year is above Itrigger and hence, b is 1.
m is, as previously explained, the tuning parameter and for slow growing species (with von Bertalanffy 0.32 <K < 0.45 yr-1), m equals 0.5.
Management
Whiting has not been subject to management such as TAC limitations, but advice has been given by the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute since 2019 (Table 3).
Fishing year | Recommended TAC | National TAC | Total catch |
|---|---|---|---|
2019/2020 | 836 | 607 | |
2020/2021 | 1 003 | 844 | |
2021/2022 | 1 137 | 826 | |
2022/2023 | 1 091 | 1 252 | |
2023/2024 | 1 309 | 720 | |
2024/2025 | 1 571 |
References
ICES. 2025. ICES Guidelines - Advice rules for stocks in category 2 and 3. Version 3. ICES Guidelines and Policies - Advice Technical Guidelines. 31 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.28506179