Dear all,

Please see below the ACOM-approved benchmark processes for 2025.

As per the new ICES benchmark guidelines (https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.22316743), the results of these benchmarks will be reported to ACOM two months before the first day of the corresponding assessment working group meeting if intended to be used in advice for that year.

Note: final groupings and stocks are subject to change if required.

Group 1 – Fourth Surplus Production Model in Continuous Time (SPiCT) benchmark*

lez.27.4a6a	Megrim (Lepidorhombus spp.) in divisions 4.a and 6.a (northern North Sea, West of Scotland)	WGCSE
nep.fu.2829	Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in Division 9.a, Functional Units 28-29 (Atlantic Iberian waters East and southwestern and southern Portugal)	WGBIE
whg.27.3a	Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in Division 3.a (Skagerrak and Kattegat)	WGNSSK

*Additional candidate stocks may be added.

Group 2 – Stock Synthesis (SS) benchmark

ank.27.8c9a	Black-bellied anglerfish (Lophius budegassa) in divisions 8.c and 9.a (Cantabrian Sea, Atlantic Iberian waters)	WGBIE
mon.27.8c9a	White anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) in divisions 8.c and 9.a (Cantabrian Sea and Atlantic Iberian waters)	WGBIE
pol.27.67	Pollack (Pollachius pollachius) in subareas 6-7 (Celtic Seas and the English Channel)	WGCSE
sbr.27.9	Blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in Subarea 9 (Atlantic Iberian waters)	WGDEEP

Group 3 – Deep-sea fisheries benchmark

aru.27.5a14	Greater silver smelt (Argentina silus) in Subarea 14 and Division 5.a (East Greenland and Iceland grounds)	WGDEEP
bli.27.5a14	Blue ling (Molva dypterygia) in Subarea 14 and Division 5.a (East Greenland and Iceland grounds)	WGDEEP
bsf.27.nea	Black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) in subareas 1, 2, 4-8, 10, and 14, and divisions 3.a, 9.a, and 12.b (Northeast Atlantic and Arctic Ocean)	WGDEEP

Group 4 – Mackerel and Norwegian spring-spawning herring benchmark

her.27.1-24a514a	Herring (Clupea harengus) in subareas 1, 2, 5 and divisions 4.a and 14.a, Norwegian spring-spawning herring (the Northeast Atlantic and Arctic Ocean)	WGWIDE
mac.27.nea	Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in subareas 1-8 and 14 and division 9.a (the Northeast Atlantic and adjacent waters)	WGWIDE

Group 5 – Plaice, turbot, and whiting benchmark

ple.27.7d	Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) in Division 7.d (eastern English Channel)	WGNSSK
tur.27.4	Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) in Subarea 4 (North Sea)	WGNSSK
whg.27.7a	Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in Division 7.a (Irish Sea)	WGCSE

Approved by ACOM for future benchmark is a herring/sprat benchmark (her.27.20-24; spr.27.3a4) and an ETP bycatch benchmark (on Bycatch Evaluation and Assessment Matrix-BEAM). More details to be provided in due course.

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