Work package 6.

Life history parameters relevant for Fmsy.

In order to be able to “export” Fmsy values from stocks where they are properly determined to stocks that lack this, general relationships between Fmsy and life history parameters will be considered. Generally, slow growing and late maturing stocks have lower Fmsy than fast growing and early maturing stocks. Compilations of existing analysis of this will be done and conclusions about what life history parameters to use in the “export” process will performed. 

Generally, it has often been assumed hitherto that F should be related to M, meaning that stocks with a high natural mortality can sustain a high F. However, recent science (Beyer and Andersen 2013 (FISH and FISHERIES, DOI: 10.1111/faf.12042), and Kolding et al. (2016, ICES Journal of Marine Science, doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsw060)) based on length spectra analysis and the so-called “balanced fishing”, indicates that this is not the case, and that there is no such relation between M and Fmsy. This will be looked into as well. The following question will be answered: What can we conclude now in relation to the aim of the current project, from the science available?

Key persons: Villy, Jeremy, Henrik, Gunnar, Ray, Jan.