Shifting Baselines toolset: Size Backflash
Size Matters! The rapid decline of whiting in the North Sea
UNIABDN (UK)

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Observation:
A sudden, sharp decline in the size of individual whiting caught in the northern North Sea (coast of Scotland) is directly proportional to the decline in the tonnage of landings.

Conclusion:
Although there has not been an exact match in trends over time in the last 40 years, since 1980 the decline in whiting spawning stock biomass in the North Sea (as estimated by ICES) has been accompanied by a decline in the average size of whiting. This is taken from survey trawling data from Fisheries Research Marine Laboratory. It suggests that average size could be a useful indicator of stock status.

Data source:
Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen.

(Graham Pierce)

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