North and South Atlantic Blue Shark MSE

(Prionace glaucas)

Generated by ChatGPT on 15 Feb 2026

 


Overview

While a formal MSE process has not yet been launched for Atlantic blue shark, the Commission has requested that the SCRS shall inform the Commission, by 2025, on the feasibility for developing an MSE framework for the management of North Atlantic (Rec. 23-10) and South Atlantic (Rec. 23-11) blue shark. In 2025 the SCRS recommended that the three-year option, with some preliminary work developed during 2026, and the core MSE work conducted in the 2027-2029 period, noting that efficiency can be gained by implementing a joint approach for both stocks (Anon., 2025).

 

OMs development plan in 2026-2029 MP adoption plan in 2029 ECP adoption plan in 2029
Recondition not planned MP not defined ECs evaluation not started

History

While a formal MSE process has not yet been launched for Atlantic blue shark, the Commission has requested that the SCRS provide, if possible, options of Harvest Control Rules (HCRs) with the associated reference points for blue shark in 2019 (Rec. 19-07; Rec. 19-08). The Commission reiterated that the SCRS shall inform the Commission, by 2025 on the feasibility, cost, options and tentative roadmap for developing an MSE framework for the management of North Atlantic (Rec. 23-10) and South Atlantic (Rec. 23-11) blue shark.

The SCRS has advanced MSE work for the blue shark stocks through two technical documents in 2024 and a feasibility analysis document in 2025. Taylor (2024) and Carruthers (2024) focus on developing code architecture, conducting preliminary closed-loop simulations for the northern stock, and assessing technical feasibility. Based on these studies, Taylor et al. (2025) presented a feasibility study by examining two implementation options: a two-year process with Management Procedure (MP) adoption by 2027, and a three-year process with adoption by 2028.

In 2025, the SCRS recommended that the three-year option, with some preliminary work developed during 2026, and the core MSE work conducted in the 2027-2029 period (i.e. the three-year option beginning in 2027), noting that efficiency can be gained by implementing a joint approach for both stocks.

 

Operating Models (OMs)

Although a formal MSE process has not yet been launched for Atlantic blue shark, some closed-loop simulation MSE works (Taylor 2024; Carruthers 2024) have been conducted based on the previous stock assessments (Anon., 2015; Anon., 2023). These preliminary works included the evaluations of Candidate Management Procedures (CMPs) against minimum performance standards.

 

Management Objectives

Management Objectives have not yet been established.

 

Candidate Management Procedures (CMPs)

The SCRS plans to develop various CMPs in 2026-2029.

 

Management Procedure (MP)

The SCRS plans that the Commission will adopt an MP by 2029.

 

Exceptional Circumstances (ECs)

The SCRS plans to develop a draft of the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol (ECP) in 2029.

 

 

 

References of Atlantic blue shark

Meeting Reports
Year Ref Document
2025 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2024 Commission 24th Special Meeting of the Commission
2024 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2024 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods (WGSAM)
2023 BSH DP Meeting Blue Shark Data Preparatory Meeting
2023 BSH SA Meeting Blue Shark Stock Assessment meeting
2023 Commission 28th Regular Meeting of the Commission
2023 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2023 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods (WGSAM)
2022 Commission 23rd Special Meeting of the Commission
2022 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2022 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods (WGSAM)
2021 Commission 27th Regular meeting of the Commission
2021 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2021 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods
2020 Commission 22nd Special Meeting of the Commission
2020 SCRS 2020 SCRS Advice to the Commission
2020 WGSAM Meeting Intersessional meeting of the Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods
2019 Commission 26th Regular Meeting of the Commission
2019 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2019 WGSAM Meeting 2019 REPORT OF THE 2019 ICCAT WORKING GROUP ON STOCK ASSESSMENT METHODS MEETING (WGSAM)
2018 Commission 21st Special Meeting of the Commission
2018 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2018 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the ICCAT Working Group on stock assessment methods
2017 Commission 25th Regular Meeting of the Commission
2017 SCRS REPORT OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND STATISTICS (SCRS)
2017 WGSAM Meeting Meeting of the ICCAT Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods
2016 Commission 20th Special Meeting of the Commission
2016 SCRS Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and statistics
2015 BSH DP Meeting Blue shark data preparatory meeting
2015 BSH SA Meeting Blue shark stock assessment meeting
2015 Commission 24th Regular Meeting of the Commission
2015 SCRS Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and statistics
2014 SCRS Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and statistics 
2014 SWGSM Meeting FIRST MEETING OF THE STANDING WORKING GROUP TO ENHANCE DIALOGUE BETWEEN FISHERIES SCIENTISTS AND MANAGERS (SWGSM) (Barcelona, Spain, 26-28 May 2014)
2013 SCRS Meeting of the Standing Committee on Research and statistics 
COMMISSION Documents
COMMISSION/SCRS Documents
SCRS Documents
Year Ref Document
2025 SCRS/2025/019 REPORT OF THE PROJECT “EXTERNAL" REVIEW OF THE OVERALL ICCAT MSE PROCESS
2025 SCRS/2025/078 Feasibility of Management Strategy Evaluation of Northern and Southern Blue Shark in ICCAT Waters
2025 SCRS/2025/118 Management Procedures and Climate Change - A Review of the Literature
2024 SCRS/2024/028 A REVIEW OF OBJECTIVES, REFERENCE POINTS, AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY EVALUATION AT TRFMOS
2024 SCRS/2024/081 Incorporating climate considerations into fisheries assessments and management advice at ICCAT
2024 SCRS/2024/141 TECHNICAL MSE DEMONSTRATION FOR ATLANTIC BLUE SHARK
2024 SCRS/2024/148 DEVELOPING THE CLIMATE TEST: PERFORMANCE METRICS OF CLIMATE ROBUSTNESS
2024 SCRS/2024/149 An Updated Roadmap for MSE development 
2024 SCRS/2024/157 Is PGK an appropriate performance statistic for MP performance and selection?
2024 SCRS/2024/160 A compact-proof-of-concept BSH MSE framework using priors, the rapid conditioning model, and tune management procedures 
2023 SCRS/2023/070 A Review of Reference Points, Objectives, and Performance Standards at tRMFOs
2023 SCRS/2023/120 South Atlantic blue shark stock assessment 1971-2021 using stock synthesis
2023 SCRS/2023/143 Approximation of Kobe posteriors from stock synthesis for North Atlantic blue shark
2019 SCRS/2019/056 AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH FOR DIAGNOSTICS OF PARAMETERS ESTIMATION IN MANAGEMENT STRATEGY EVALUATION
2017 SCRS/2016/014 Conditioning operating models on data and knowledge and rejecting and weighting of hypotheses
Others
Year Ref Document
2025 Capacity building How to efficiently craft a management procedure
2025 Capacity building Management Procedures and Management Strategy Evaluation: A Brief Guide for Managers
2025 Capacity building Management procedures versus traditional fisheries management
2025 Codes FLBEIA Code
2025 Harvest Strategies Glossary Harvest Strategies Glossary
2025 IOTC IOTC MSE capacity building tools
2025 SCRS/P/2025/009 Proposal on the ICCAT MSE website by Ad-hoc Sub-group on MSE Communication
2024 Capacity building Assessment of Candidate Management Procedures and Harvest Control Rules for the Western Atlantic Skipjack Tuna
2024 Capacity building How is MSE based MPs different from current stock assessment practice?
2024 Capacity building HOW TO PUT A MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE TOGETHER
2024 Capacity building Management Procedure Elements
2024 Capacity building Objective of MSE simulations
2024 Capacity building Reference Points & Rules: Managing fisheries for the future
2024 Capacity building Restoring Pacific saury to a predictable and productive fishery
2024 Capacity building What is an MSE based MP?
2024 SCRS/P/2024/074 FLBEIA: A simulation model to conduct Bio-Economic evaluation of fisheries management strategies
2024 SCRS/P/2024/078 MSE Process Scorecard for ICCAT Stocks
2023 Capacity building Two Tools Can Help Make Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management a Global Reality
2023 openMSE Open Source Software for Management Strategy Evaluation
2023 SCRS/P/2023/051 A Review of Reference Points, Objectives, and Performance Standards at tRMFOs
2022 Capacity building To Strengthen Fishery Management, RFMOs Should Use Science-Management Dialogue Groups
2021 Capacity building Harvest strategies: Fisheries Management for the 21st Century
2021 Codes openMSE Code
2019 Capacity building Harvest Strategies: 21st Century Fisheries Management
2019 ICCAT WS ICCAT MSE Introductory Workshop in 2019
2018 SCRS/P/2018/019 Current state of MSE/HCR Process in ICCAT
2018 SCRS/P/2018/020 What makes an MP an MP and an MSE an MSE?
2018 SCRS/P/2018/021 Operating model for North Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
2018 tRFMO MSE Glossary Glossary of terms for harvest strategies, management procedures and management strategy evaluation
2018 tRFMO MSE meeting REPORT OF THE 2018 JOINT TUNA RFMO MANAGEMENT STRATEGY EVALUATION WORKING GROUP MEETING (Seattle, USA – 13-15 June 2018)
2018 tRFMO MSE Working Group Joint Tuna RFMO Management Strategy Evaluation Working Group
2016 Capacity building Harvest Control Rules
2016 Capacity building Management Objectives
2016 Capacity building Management Strategy Evaluation for Fisheries
2016 Capacity building Reference Points
2015 Capacity building Harvest strategies
2014 IATTC SAC-05-10b MANAGEMENT STRATEGY EVALUATION (MSE) IMPLEMENTATION IN STOCK SYNTHESIS: APPLICATION TO PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA
2014 ICES Journal of Marine Science, 71(2): 195–203 Implementing harvest strategies in Australia: 5 years on
2003 North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 23: 349–361 Targets and Limits for Management of Fisheries: A Simple Probability-Based Approach
1998 Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 55(6): 1545–1552 Recent international agreements and the precautionary approach: new directions for fisheries management science
1996 FAO FAO precautionary approach to capture fisheries and species introduction