There is no assessment for this stock so it is not known if the stock is at or above a level capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield. Furthermore, it is not known whether current catches or the TAC are at levels that will allow the stock to move towards the biomass that would support the maximum sustainable yield. However, in the context of the Pacific fishery for this species, declining catches over a period when effort has increased rapidly, low catch per unit effort in recent years, combined with the low productivity of the species and a history of fishery collapses in the North Atlantic, are all cause for concern.
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