Some inferences from an overview of genetic and other information regarding some key aspects of M.paradoxus stock structure off South Africa and Namibia.

Genetic data, while compatible with the hypothesis of a single M. paradoxus stock off Namibia and South Africa, does not exclude the possibility of two M. paradoxus stocks with a soft boundary somewhere between Saldahna Bay and the Orange River. The same conclusion follows from the survey catch-at-length distribution information available. Thus, while a single M. paradoxus stock hypothesis likely remains the most plausible, the possibility of two stocks of this species (with no need for their joint management by South Africa and Namibia) remains. Some suggestions are made for further work in the short term which may throw more light on this issue