Around ten percent reaches maturity already at one year of age, however, most individuals reach maturity at the age of two. Recruitment in Norway pout is highly variable and influences the spawning stock biomass and total stock biomass rapidly, due to the short life span of the species. Norway pout is important prey for other species. Hence, the stock size is heavily influenced by inter-annual variability in recruitment and predation.
Fishery
During the 1960s, a significant small meshed fishery developed for Norway pout in the northern North Sea, with peak landings of 740 000 tonnes in 1974. Since the early 1980s, annual landings have fluctuated around 200 000 tonnes. In recent years, landings have decreased substantially to merely 13 500 tonnes in 2004. The fishery was closed in 2005, re-opened in September 2006 (46 600 tonnes), and closed again in 2007. The fishery is mainly carried out by Danish and Norwegian vessels using small-mesh trawls in the north-western North Sea. Main fishing seasons are 3rd and 4th quarters of the year, with high catches also in the 1st quarter, especially before 1999. In addition to the directed Norway pout fishery, the species is also taken as by-catch in the blue whiting fishery.
No agreed management plan
ICES states that there is a need to ensure that the stock remains high enough to provide food for a variety of predator species. Until 2005, there were in fact no limits on total landings, but because of the poor state of the stock the EU and Norway agreed to close the fishery in 2005. The fishery remained closed until September 2006, when the EU set at TAC of 90 000 tonnes and Norway opened an unrestricted fishery. Due to relatively poor recruitment in 2006, the fishery was closed again in 2007. In 2008 the fishery was reopened with an initial TAC of 50 000 t, which was not taken. In order to reduce by-catches of immature round fish, the “Norway Pout Box” north-east of Scotland was introduced in 1977 where fisheries with small-meshed trawls were banned. In the Norwegian economic zone, the Patch Bank was closed permanently in 2002, and in 2008 the fishing season was restricted to the period 1 May – 31 August. In the Norwegian zone, mesh size limitations are16 to 80 mm, and individual landings must contain less than 20% by-catch of cod, haddock and saithe. During the last 10 years, by-catches of cod, haddock and saithe in the combined Norwegian fishery for Norway pout and blue whiting have been 0.1 %, 1.5 % and 3.5%, respectively.
Management in 2009
Between 2004 and 2006, ICES classified the stock as having had reduced reproductive capacity (under Blim). The 2007 spawning stock was estimated to be just above the precautionary limit (Bpa), but dropped below this limit again in 2008. Based on the most recent estimate by ICES, catches in 2009 of up to 35 000 t are expected to bring the stock above the precautionary limit in 2010.