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
2026
Stock Category
1
Purpose
Advice
Published
Stock Assessment Key
22534
Link to Advice Sheet
https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.advice.30932465






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 ^^^
2027 2027 2027 2027 2027 2028 2028 2027 2027
(t) (t) (t) (ratio) (t) (t) (%) (%) (%)
ICES Basis Advice
MSY approach: FMSY 1996 1917 79 0.163 5740 5942 6.5 -8.7 -8.7
Other scenarios
FMSY upper 2637 2524 113 0.22 5543 5388 2.8 21 21
FMSY lower 1400 1343 57 0.111 5937 6464 10.1 -36 -36
F = 0 0 0 0 0 6338 7796 17.6 -100 -100
Fpa 3100 2967 133 0.27 5400 5020 0.186 42 42
F = F2026 1861 1787 74 0.151 5785 6053 7.3 -14.9 -14.9
SSB (2028) = Blim 5465 5219 246 0.54 4636 3293 -14 150 150
SSB (2028) = Bpa = MSY Btrigger 3662 3507 155 0.33 5221 4576 -3.1 67 67
Rollover advice 2187 2096 91 0.18 5679 5777 5.4 0 0




Symbol Footnotes
* Including below minimum size (BMS) landings, assuming recent discard rate (average of 2023–2025).
** SSB is estimated at spawning time (01 July).
*** Assuming same Ftotal (ages 4–8) in 2028 as in 2027.
^ SSB in 2027 relative to SSB in 2026.
^^ Total advised catch in 2027 relative to the EU–UK agreed catch limit approach for 2026 (2187 tonnes). This limit reflects the sum of the EU-UK agreed TACs in 2026 (2111 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 2027 relative to advice value for 2026 (2187 tonnes).