Pollack is a fish species found from Norway to France, usually living near rocky sea bottoms down to about 150 meters deep. In European waters, especially around Ireland, pollack is important both for commercial and recreational fishing. However, recent scientific assessments show that pollack stocks in areas around Ireland and the UK (called ICES areas 6 and 7) are in poor condition.
Despite this, there are still many unknowns about pollack. One major gap is whether pollack in different areas—like inshore (close to the coast) and offshore (further out to sea)—are part of the same population or if they are separate groups. This matters because if there are different groups, they may need to be managed differently to help the stock recover and ensure sustainable fishing.
Currently, pollack is managed under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, and Ireland also has responsibilities under environmental laws like the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and OSPAR.
This new research project aims at understanding the population structure and movement of pollack in Irish waters, using genetics and tagging. We are interested in establishing whether Irish pollack is made of separate units that could require a different management approach, and especially if there is any difference between inshore and offshore populations.
Together, the genetic and tagging studies will give a clearer picture of how pollack live and move in Irish waters. The project will also support Ireland’s commitments under EU and international environmental laws and help fill important data gaps.
- Identification of genetic and baseline population structure of Pollack to allow better conservation and protection of the species. Establishment of genetic stock discrimination features to enable stocks from different populations to be identified to local stock or sub-group if possible.
- Increase pool of biological information on pollack distribution, migrations and spawning areas to manage stocks sustainably. Possibly leading to improved management and protection of the Pollack stock(s) and also fishing opportunities for Irish fishing fleets targeting this valuable species
- Information on bottlenecks to survival for a commercially important species on major migration routes
- Information on spawning times for pollack in Irish waters and recruitment to fisheries or local management and protection
- Information to inform on (sub)stocks’ contribution to commercial fisheries around Ireland
- Advice on stock separation for management, quota setting and whether the current ICES catch advice by major ICES fisheries division is justifiable.
- Use pollack an indicator species of interest to fishermen and the public to explain and justify MFSD in a direct and accessible manner using an iconic species.
- Involvement of fishermen in the development and testing of new technologies for data provision including use of genetic stock identification for commercially caught species and smart technologies to facilitate reporting of migration routes, timing of residency and locations of pollack during the year
- Conventional sampling programmes for pollack have been ineffective in providing a level of information which would allow refinement or improvement to current ICES stock assessments and there has been a move towards genetic stock identification as a means to provide direct information of stock origins, distribution, residency time in relation to intensive fisheries and in particular the spawning areas of various pollack stocks.
- Development of collaborative ecosystem-based fishery management plans specifically for national and international needs, involving Department, State Agencies and industry, based on scientific evidence and closely linked to Data collection and marine biodiversity projects.
- Provision of information on stock origin and presence of pollack in Irish waters and direct input of these data to national management of the resource with MI, DAFM, SEUPB, DECC and IFI.
- Dataset of sequenced pollack samples.
- Report/scientific publication(s) on the genetic structure of Pollack.
- Data and report on coastal movements of pollack.
- Advice (to ICES) on the appropriate spatial scale on which to assess pollack in areas 6 and 7.
- Advice (to EU/UK/DAFM) on the appropriate spatial scale on which to sustainably manage the fisheries for pollack in areas 6 and 7.
Email: hans.gerritsen@marine.ie
