Short note on abundance of SEBASTES Mentella in the 0-group and youngfish surveys as indicator of recruitment overfishing

Abstract

Abundance indices of 0-group Sebastes mentella from the international 0-group survey in the Barents Sea showed a sudden decrease from 1990 to 1991 to a low level which remained for three years. The strength of these weak yearclasses has been confirmed in later youngfish surveys, and is supposed to be a result of a historic low spawning stock. A big directed fishery in former years, and huge by-catches and discards of small Sebastes mentella in other fisheries have due to the late maturity of this species not until now resulted in a serious reduction of the spawning stock, A directed trawl fishery in more recent years on mature fish on new fishing grounds has probably speeded-up this negative development.