Advice and Scenarios Database



Witch (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) in Subarea 4 and divisions 3.a and 7.d (North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat, eastern English Channel)
StockCode (Assessment Component)
wit.27.3a47d
Assessment Year
2025
Stock Category
1
Purpose
Advice
Published
Stock Assessment Key
19498
Link to Advice Sheet
https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.27202956.v1






Catch scenarios


Basis
Total catch
Projected landings
Projected discards*
Ftotal (ages 4-8)
Spawning-stock biomass (SSB)**
SSB**,***
% SSB change^
% total allowable catch (TAC) change^^
% advice change^^^
2026 2026 2026 2026 2026 2027 2026 2026 2026
(t) (t) (t) (ratio) (t) (t) (%) (%) (%)
ICES Basis Advice
Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) approach: FMSY 2187 2107 80 0.163 6210 6365 8.9 11.1 11.1
Other scenarios
FMSYupper 2877 2770 107 0.22 5992 5771 5.1 46 46
FMSY lower 1538 1481 57 0.111 6410 6941 12.4 -22 -22
F=0 0 0 0 0 6865 8381 20 -100 -100
FPA 3376 3248 128 0.27 5839 5357 2.4 71 71
F = F2025 2119 2043 76 0.157 6231 6427 9.3 7.6 7.6
SSB (2027) = Blim 6283 6006 277 0.59 4865 3293 -14.7 220 220
SSB (2027) = BPA = MSY Btrigger 4403 4229 174 0.37 5503 4576 -3.5 124 124
Rollover advice 1969 1898 71 0.145 6277 6580 10.1 0 0




Symbol Footnotes
* Including below minimum size (BMS) landings, assuming recent discard rate (average of 2022–2024).
** SSB is estimated at spawning time (01 July).
*** Assuming same Ftotal (ages 4–8) in 2027 as in 2026.
^ SSB in 2026 relative to SSB in 2025.
^^ Total advised catch in 2026 relative to the EU–UK agreed catch limit approach for 2025 (1 969 tonnes). This limit reflects the sum of the EU-UK agreed TACs in 2025 (1 847 tonnes), divided by 0.9379 to account for a 6.21% deduction for third-country catches, following the method for projecting third-country catches (EU–UK Joint Committee, 2023).
^^^ Total advised catch in 2026 relative to advice value for 2025 (1 969 tonnes).