Icelandic lower catch advice for lumpfish

Icelandic lower catch advice for lumpfish. Iceland’s Marine and Freshwater Research Institute advises that the total catch of female lumpfish for the fishing year 2022/2023 should be no more than 4 411 tonnes. That is a 37% decrease in the advice compared to last year. The advice is primarily based on the biomass index from the Icelandic groundfish survey (IS-SMB) in March 2023, which was below the long term mean and lowest for ten years. The biomass index fluctuates between years, partly reflecting uncertainty in the measurements. To compensate for that, the previous year’s index is taken into account (weighted 30%) against the new index (weighted 70%) when estimating the recommended TAC. The biomass index in 2022 was close to the long term mean. MFRI further advises that the initial TAC for the fishing year 2023/2024 should be 1 193 tonnes. Lumpfish (Cyclopterus) roe, a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, is used to produce relatively inexpensive caviar substitutes. They are ...