| The 2011’s stock assessment pointed out an important decrease in the biomass of the North Sea saithe within 2009, while it was regarded for several years as a symbol of the sustainable management of the North Sea stocks. Meanwhile, an increasing spatial competition with other fleets has been reported since 2008 in the North of Shetland, where the majority of catches occur. This study was carried out to confirm and assess the extent of the changes in the distribution of fishing effort and to define if it could be linked to the collapse of the Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) in 2009. Exploratory analyses were held to calibrate the tuning fleet and to identify areas of the North Sea specific to certain species. These factors were then used as explanatory... |
