Since 1974, when a TAC was established for the first time, catches ranged from 48 000 tons in 1989 to a minimum of 353 tons estimated for 1999. In recent years most of the catches were taken by non-Contracting Parties. In 1999 the TAC was zero and there was not directed fishery on Div. 3M cod, however catches were estimated in 353 tons, with 350 tons from non-Contracting Parties. In the 1999 assessment, the status of the stock was qualified as collapse, attributed to three possible factors: a stock decline due to overfishing, an increase in catchability at low abundance levels and a very poor recruitment since. The EU bottom trawl survey on Flemish Cap has been carried out since 1988. The survey covered all the area where cod occurs. Total biomass was estimated by swept area method showed a peak of 104 000 tons in 1989 and fell since then to the present minimum with 2 596 tons. Abundance indices at age between 1988 and 1999 are shown in Table 2. Ages ranged from 1 to 12, but the ages older than 7 were rare. Recruitment indices at age 1 in the last four years were at the lowest level since the beginning of the series. The low abundance of those year-classes was confirmed in more recent years, being also scarce in 1999, at ages 1 to 4. A trend in growth at age along the EU-survey data series was seen. Ages 1 to 4 have been increasing its size all the time. This is probably a population reaction against the decline of the stock. Older ages seldom reacted in the same way.

This study was supported by the European Commission (DG XIV, Study 96-030), CSIC, IEO, IPIMAR, and the Basque Government.

13 páginas, 8 figuras, 8 tablas.-- Scientific Council Meeting.

Peer reviewed