This is what we know: Assessing the stock status of the data-poor common sole on the Iberian coast

13 pages, 8 figures, 2 tablesIn the Iberian Coast region, the common sole (Solea solea) is considered a very relevant species due to its high commercial value. Despite its importance, the current status of this stock is still poorly known due to the scarcity of available data to apply formal assessment methods. In data-poor situations length-based methods have been widely applied to estimate biological parameters and to understand the dynamics of marine stocks. In this study we evaluate the status of common sole in the Iberian Coast region using the following three different length-based methods: (1) the length-based indicators, (2) the length-based spawning potential ratio and (3) the mean length-based mortality estimators. Overall, the three methods agree that this stock appears to be exploited at the maximum sustainable yield level, the immatures are well preserved whereas the proportion of large mature individuals is relatively low, although it has been increased in the last years. Assessing the status of this valuable stock through data-limited methods is the first step towards designing and implementing effective management measuresThis study is a contribution to the project IMPRESS (RTI2018-099868-B-I00), ERDF, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities - State Research Agency and also of GAIN (Xunta de Galicia), GRC MERVEX (nº IN607-A 2018-4)Peer reviewe