The conventional ASPM assessment of the South African horse mackerel resource is updated by taking account of recent trawl survey results. Projections are similar to those of previous assessments: a demersal/deepwater catch of 44 000 tons pa can be increased only provided the annual pelagic catch is kept below 5000 tons, or if the swept area survey results reflect appreciable negative bias. Acoustic survey estimates for recruit biomass are comparable with those from the ASPM, but acoustic estimates for total biomass are much less.