ECOREGION Celtic Sea and West of Scotland SUBJECT Request from NEAFC to evaluate the proposals for the harvest control components of the management plan for Rockall haddock fisheries

ICES advises that the proposed harvest control rule (HCR) for Rockall haddock fisheries, using the existing reference points, is not in accordance with the precautionary approach under the conditions of low recruitment that have prevailed since 2004. The proposed HCR implies that the stock will be below Blim with a high probability under those recruitment conditions. The modification of the HCR introducing a parameter for low recruitment situations (the α parameter, to be used in paragraph 4 of the HCR definition) appears to have little impact on the performance of the HCR.