GOLDEN REDFISH Sebastes norvegicus
Publication of Advice: 12th June 2026. Published by Marine and Freshwater Research Institute.
Advice
MFRI and ICES advise that when the MSY approach is applied, catches in the fishing year 2026/2027 in the East Greenland / Iceland / Faroe Islands area should be no more than 43 319.
Stock development
Fishing pressure is below FMSY and Fpa; spawning-stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.
Golden redfish. Catches by area, recruitment, fishing mortality (ages 9–19), and spawning stock biomass (SSB). Shaded areas and error bars show 95% confidence intervals.
Basis of the assessment and reference points
Basis of the advice | ICES MSY approach |
Management plan | TAC set using the ICES advice rule with a fishing mortality FMSY = 0.112 applied to ages 9–19, modified by the ratio SSBy/MSY Btrigger when SSBy < MSY Btrigger |
Assessment type | Statistical catch at age model (SAM) |
Input data | Landing data and length distributions of catches from Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroes, survey data by length from Iceland (IS-SMB, IS-SMH), East Greenland (GER(GRL)-GFS-Q4) and the Faroe Islands (FO-GFS-Q1, FO-GFS-Q3), age data from Icelandic catches and IS-SMH |
Approach | Reference point | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
MSY approach | FMSY | 0.11 | Leads to long-term MSY, based on stochastic simulations (EqSim) |
MSY Btrigger | 154 094 | Bpa | |
Precautionary approach | Blim | 110 893 | Bloss. Lowest SSB (1994) |
Bpa | 154 094 | Blim x e1.645 * 0.2 | |
Fpa | 0.11 | Fp05, maximum F at which the probability of SSB falling below Blim is < 5% | |
Flim | 0.17 | Fishing mortality that in stochastic equilibrium will result in median SSB at Blim |
Prospects
Golden redfish. Assumptions made for the interim year and in the forecast.
Variable | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Fages 9-19 (2026) | 0.12 | From the forecast for 2026, based on the assumed catch in 2026 |
SSB (2027) | 284 468 | Projected from the assessment; in tonnes |
Recruitment age 6 (2026) | 47 111 | From the assessment; in thousands |
Recruitment age 6 (2027) | 84 142 | Average of the last five cohorts in 2022–2026; in thousands |
Catch (2026) | 41 345 | Sum of expected landings from (2026); in tonnes. |
Golden redfish. Projection of SSB (tonnes) based on the MSY approach.
Basis | Catch (2027) | F (2027) | SSB (2028) | SSB change (%)1) | Advice change (%)2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSY approach | 43 319 | 0.112 | 277 254 | -2.5 | 4.8 |
Other scenarios | |||||
F2027 = 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 315 579 | 5 | -100 |
F2027 = F2025 | 41 100 | 0.106 | 278 821 | -2.1 | -0.6 |
1) SSB in 2028 relative to SSB in 2027 | |||||
2) Advice value for 2026/2027 relative to advice value for 2025/2026 (41345 t) | |||||
Quality of the assessment
The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) and fishing pressure estimates in the 2026 assessment are consistent with the previous three assessments.
Subarea 6 catches are not included in the stock assessment because they are only reported as Sebastes sp.. These account for around 1% of total catch.
Golden redfish. Current assessment (red line) compared with previous estimates (2022–2025). Final-year recruitment and biomass estimates are included. The reference points were revised in 2023 following a benchmark and only the last assessment results should be compared to the reference points indicated. Prior to the benchmark, recruitment was estimated at age 5.
Other information
Recruitment (age 6) since 2014 has been at a low level compared to the stock history. This raises concerns about the productivity of the stock. Without substantial recruitment, stock levels are likely to continue to decline for several years. However, surveys in Icelandic waters show increasing abundance of small golden redfish (< 30 cm) in the recent five years, and the 2026 estimate (4–11 cm) is the highest since the early 1990s. Since the species is slow growing, it is expected that these recruits will not enter the fishery for several years.
No formal agreement on the management of S. norvegicus exists among the three coastal states, Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands. An agreement exists between Iceland and Greenland since July 2023 on the management of the golden redfish fishery based on the ICES MSY framework applied in 2023. The agreement is from 2024.
Advice, TAC and catch
Golden redfish. Recommended TAC, national TAC, and catches (tonnes). Note that catch in Icelandic waters is by fishing year whereas catch in other areas and total catch is by calendar year.
Fishing year | Recommended TAC | National TAC | Catches in Icelandic waters | Catches in East Greenland waters1) | Catches in Faroes waters1) | Total catch1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010/2011 | 30 000 | 37 500 | 39 432 | 1 006 | 493 | 45 272 |
2011/2012 | 40 000 | 40 000 | 44 514 | 1 973 | 491 | 45 553 |
2012/2013 | 45 000 | 45 000 | 46 549 | 1 484 | 372 | 53 186 |
2013/2014 | 52 000 | 52 000 | 52 451 | 2 706 | 202 | 50 683 |
2014/2015 | 48 0002) | 45 600 | 48 349 | 2 562 | 270 | 51 602 |
2015/2016 | 51 0002) | 48 500 | 54 818 | 5 442 | 179 | 59 657 |
2016/2017 | 52 8002) | 47 205 | 48 352 | 4 512 | 1 413 | 56 044 |
2017/2018 | 50 8002) | 45 450 | 51 857 | 4 005 | 1 128 | 53 147 |
2018/2019 | 43 6002) | 39 240 | 44 616 | 2 665 | 1 118 | 48 529 |
2019/2020 | 43 5682) | 38 896 | 41 251 | 4 105 | 1 304 | 46 097 |
2020/2021 | 38 3432) | 34 379 | 41 014 | 3 524 | 178 | 43 318 |
2021/2022 | 31 8552) | 28 554 | 33 423 | 2 210 | 128 | 32 375 |
2022/2023 | 25 5452) | 22 615 | 28 938 | 2 741 | 181 | 35 233 |
2023/2024 | 41 2862) | 36 462 | 37 725 | 3 581 | 454 | 42 175 |
2024/2025 | 46 9112) | 41 848 | 39 991 | 5 280 | 214 | 43 726 |
2025/2026 | 41 3452) | 36 223 | ||||
2026/2027 | 43 3192) | |||||
1) Calendar year | ||||||
2) Harvest control rule for East Greenland/Iceland/Faroes. The Faroe Islands are not a part of the agreement. | ||||||
References and further reading
MFRI Assessment Reports 2026. Golden redfish. Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 12 June 2026.