Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in IXa & VIIIc: results from the Spanish spring acoustic survey Pelacus0407

Results of the Spanish spring acoustic survey PELACUS0407, carried out from the 27th March to the 23rd April 2007, indicated a stock biomass of 96,390 tons of sardine (1482 million fish) in northwest and northern Spanish waters. The main bulk of the resource was found in Galician waters (ICES sub-areas IXa-N, VIIIc-W) and consisted of age 3 fish (fish born in 2004). Age 3 fish also predominated in ICES sub-area VIIIcE-w but not in the eastern part of the surveyed area, where older fish were more abundant (ICES sub-area VIIIcE-e). The abundance and biomass obtained from PELACUS0407 are similar to the values estimated from the last 2 surveys (with a slight increase in the biomass but not in the number of fish). These figures seem to indicate that the last strong sardine recruitment (2004) probably halted the downward trend in stock size apparent since 2001 in Spanish waters. However, there is also evidence that the 2004 recruitment in the surveyed area was not as strong as the previous recruitment peak in 2000, since both biomass and abundance values are at their lowest since 2001. In addition, the area occupied by the sardine stock in Spanish waters appears also to have diminished continuously since 2001, which could make the resource even more vulnerable to fishing and/or predation. PELACUS0407 also obtained data on the distribution of sardine eggs and their number in the surveyed area: eggs were found in larger quantities and over a wider area than previously recorded by CUFES in the PELACUS series (2000-2007