ICES has published our advice on fishing opportunities in 2026 for 48 demersal and benthic fish stocks in the North Sea, Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay, and Iberian coast. This is the culmination of work carried out by hundreds of scientists across the ICES community - from data collection in ports, on fishing vessels at sea, and during surveys, to intensive stock assessment working groups and advice drafting groups
Celtic Seas
In general, the overview for stocks in the Celtic Seas ecoregion is not positive. Many stocks have suffered from reduced recruitment in recent years, and despite a reduction in fishing mortality over the last decade, many stocks are declining, and the number of stocks below the biomass limit reference point (Blim) has been increasing.
Three consecutive years of minimal to no recruitment have resulted in zero-catch advice for haddock for the first time. ICES now advises zero-catch for cod, haddock, whiting, and herring stocks in the Celtic Sea. This will have serious consequences for fishing and coastal communities that have relied on those stocks for generations.
“The situation in the Celtic Sea and Irish Sea is particularly concerning," says Colm Lordan, Chair of ICES Advisory Committee. “Many factors seem to be impacting productivity in the area—the situation is complex and, likely, fishing is not the only issue, but it is the only factor we can control to give these stocks the best chance of recovery."
North Sea
In the North Sea, haddock, whiting, plaice, and witch stocks continue to do well with relatively high biomass. Stocks in the English Channel show a more mixed picture, with some declining while others, such as sea bass, are increasing.
Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast
In the Bay of Biscay and Iberian coast, the outlook is more positive as many stocks continue to have fishing mortality at or below sustainable levels and stock biomasses close to historic high levels or well above biomass limit reference points.
Delayed advice
The advice for northern shelf cod, North Sea sole, turbot in 3a (Skagerrak and Kattegat), and Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay megrim will be delayed until autumn to allow time for further development and/or quality checking.
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