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North Atlantic Swordfish MSE
(Xiphias gladius)
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Overview
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The SCRS formally initiated the development of MSE for North Atlantic Swordfish, which included defining and conditioning Operating Models (OMs). The Operating Models (OMs) were developed using the 2022 stock assessment and updated with data through 2022. Further refinement of OMs and testing of alternative Management Procedures (MPs) has continued from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, the Commission adooted the Management Procedure for the Northern Atlantic Swordfish stock in Rec. 24‑10.
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OM Developed
in 2018-2023
Recondition
in 2027
MP Adopted
in 2023
MP since 2023
ECP adoption
in 2025
EC evaluation
not started
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History
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The Northern Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) Management Strategy Evaluation
(MSE) has been developed to support science-based management under the
International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
The objective is to evaluate candidate management procedures (MPs) that
can meet conservation and fishery objectives under uncertainty. The
first ICCAT recommendation to explicitly request a Management Strategy
Evaluation (MSE) for North Atlantic swordfish (SWO) appears in
Rec. 15‑07, titled “Recommendation on the Development of Harvest Control
Rules and of Management Strategy Evaluation”, which was adopted in 2015.
This recommendation defines what MSE is and establishes it as a priority
for ICCAT’s major species, including North Atlantic swordfish.
Elements of Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) for Northern
Swordfish have been explored at ICCAT for some time. Since the
Intersessional Meeting of the Swordfish Species Group on MSE in 2018,
the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS) formally
initiated the development of MSE, which included defining and
conditioning Operating Models (OMs).
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Contents
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Operating Models
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Operating Models (OMs) for Northern Swordfish were developed through an iterative conditioning process beginning in 2018. These models reflect alternative hypotheses regarding productivity, recruitment variability, catchability, and selectivity. Conditioning was informed by past assessments, CPUE indices, and tagging data. The Operating Models (OMs) for the Northern Swordfish MSE were developed using the 2022 stock assessment and updated with data through 2022. They represent a range of biological and fishery uncertainties to ensure robust performance testing of candidate procedures. These models are implemented in the SWOMSE package, built on openMSE.
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Materials
More materials can be found in Reference
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Management Objectives
Rec. 24-10
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Stock Status
Prob. >= 60% in green quadrant
Safety
Prob. < 15% of stock falling below Blim
Yield
Maximize overall catch
Stability
Minimize TAC changes between periods
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Candidate Management Procedure
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Initially developed Candidate Management Procedures (CMPs) were either
empirical (index-based) or model-based, following 4 CMPs were sent to
the Commission for their final selection in 2024.
- MCC9 and MCC11
- CE and SPSSFox
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Management Procedure
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The Commission adopted the MCC11 Management Procedure in 2024 (Rec.24-10, Annex 1).
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The MCC11 (Mostly Constant Catch with 11 levels) Management Procedure is an empirical approach that relies on a single input: the combined index of abundance for North Atlantic swordfish (hereafter, “the Combined Index”). The objective of the MCC11 MP is to maintain catches at a relatively stable level, permitting increases to the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) only in response to a substantial increase in the Combined Index, and allowing for reductions in the TAC only if the Combined Index exhibits a substantial decline.
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Exceptional Circumstances
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The Commission will adopt the Exceptional Circumstances Protocol in 2025.
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References
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Materials
Rec/Res
Meetings
SCRS Docs
Others
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Updated: July 7, 2025
