Recent targeting of round herring

Data show that the very recent increase in round herring catches in the first three months of the year are most likely not only related to an increase in round herring biomass, but a reflection of the low availability of anchovy and possibly sardine in the first three months of the year, the high availability of round herring close to processing facilities in the last two years and Industry’s attempts to maximise processing of round herring. Hence, we caution against the use of catch in the first three months of the year as an indicator of round herring biomass.