There is limited data on the striped red mullet population (or stock) in this region and fishing pressures are above advised limits.
Route 2 scoring has been applied to this rating owing to the lack of reference points for fishing pressure and biomass. Striped red mullet has a medium resilience to fishing pressure.
This population (or stock) is data limited. The information available is insufficient to evaluate stock trends and exploitation. The only available data is landings data, which is not a good indicator of fishing mortality or biomass because it does not account for changes in fishing effort or catchability. In the absence of information there is concern for the population (or stock) biomass.
Between 1975 and 2007 landings significantly increased, since a general decline in catches has been observed. Recent landings (1,973 tonnes in 2019, 1,445 tonnes in 2021 and 1,691 tonnes in 2022) have been above advised catch limits (1,600 tonnes in 2019, and 1,280 tonnes in 2021 and 2022) and the 5-year average (2018-2022). Moreover, for stocks without information on abundance or exploitation, ICES considers that a precautionary reduction of catches should be implemented unless there is supporting information clearly indicating that the current level of exploitation is acceptable for the stock. The precautionary buffer was last applied in 2020 and has been applied again in 2023. Consequently, there is concern for fishing pressure. ICES advises that when the precautionary approach is applied, landings should be no more than 1,024 tonnes in each of the years 2024, 2025, and 2026.
