Data evaluation of data limited stocks: Dab, flounder, Witch, Lemon Sole, Brill, Turbot and Horse mackerel

Several commercially important demersal fish stocks for the North Sea fisheries are classified by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) as “data limited” stocks, which are stocks for which the data are insufficient to perform a full analytical assessment and forecast (ICES 2012b). Until 2012 for most of these ‘data-limited’ stocks , there was no quantitative management advice that is based on the status of the stock, because the status is unknown. In this report catch per unit of effort (CPUE) indices, spatial distributions, length frequencies and agelength relationships are analysed for 7 species that have commercial importance for Dutch fisheries: dab, flounder, witch flounder, lemon sole, brill, turbot and North Sea horse mackerel. The data in this report may be used in future for catch advice by the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES).