Herring Assessment Working Group for the Area South of 62° N (HAWG)

The ICES herring assessment working group (HAWG) met online for four days in May 2022 to assess the state of six herring stocks. Advice for two sprat stocks that have an advice schedule from 1st July–30th June was prepared in April. HAWG also provided advice for eight sandeel stocks in February. The working group conducted update category 1 assessments for four of the herring stocks and category 3 assessments for 2 herring stocks. An analytical assessment was per- formed for the combined North Sea and Division 3.a sprat, and data limited assessment (ICES category 3) was conducted for English Channel sprat (spr.27.7de). Biennial advice is given for sprat in the Celtic Seas and West of Scotland with advice provided in 2021. The North Sea autumn spawning herring (her.27.3a47d). SSB in 2021 was estimated at 1.35 mill tonnes while F2–6 in 2021 was estimated at 0.20, which is below FMSY. Recruitment in 2021 is the lowest since 2017 and within the low recruitment regime observed since 2015. Year classes since 2002 are estimated to be consistently weak with year classes 2014 and 2016 some of the weakest on record. ICES considers that the stock is still in a low productivity phase. The Western Baltic spring-spawning herring (her.27.20-24) assessment was updated. The SSB and recruitment in 2021 are at low levels. SSB is estimated to be around 62 800 tonnes which is below both Bpa and Blim. Recruitment has been low since 2006 and it has been further deteriorating with time. Fishing mortality decreased in 2018 and is now well below FMSY (0.31) at 0.15. The stock has decreased consistently during the second half of the 2000s and given the continued low recruitments, the stock is not able to recover above Blim unless a drastic reduction in fishing effort is applied for several years. The Celtic Sea autumn and winter spawning stock (her.27.irls) is estimated to be at a very low l