Scottish herring fishermen pioneer new science work
Herring
United Kingdom
Published Apr 9, 2021
Tridge summary
Scottish herring fishermen pioneer new science work. By Dr Steven Mackinson, Chief Scientific Officer, Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association. The importance of scientific sampling to assess the composition of fish stocks and their status has been underlined by the results of an international five-year study on Western herring, in which Scottish fishermen played a key role. One of the aims of the sampling surveys carried out by Scottish and other nationality fishing vessels working in partnership with government marine science institutes, was to determine whether the herring stock off the west coast of Scotland comprised of one stock, or different stocks
Original content
split between the north and south. The study on the genetic make-up of herring revealed that there are indeed different stocks, with those spawning in the northern sector off Cape Wrath and adjacent areas being genetically identical to North Sea herring, while those spawning further south around Ireland are a discrete, separate stock. Such knowledge is important because it greatly aids decision-making in fisheries management to ensure stocks are harvested sustainably. For the last few years, no commercial fishing has been permitted for Western herring because, for undetermined reasons, levels of the various stock components are low. Later this year, the results from this new five-year data set will be considered for the first time by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) to assist in a full ‘stock-take’ of the information available to assess the status of Western herring, which will aid the development of an effective rebuilding plan. This is a ...
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