Natural England’s advice as regards the ecosystem role of sprat (Sprattus sprattus) and appropriateness of applying Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approaches to the management of sprat fisheries was sought by Defra Quota Policy & Negotiations Team. This report was requested to support the North Sea and Channel Sprat Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Sprat are an important forage fish in the North Sea and English Channel marine ecosystems. Sprat are predators of zooplankton, competitors with other forage fish, prey for piscivorous fish, marine mammals, and seabirds, and a resource for economically important commercial fisheries.
This report reviewed evidence of the ecosystem role of sprat and used an ecosystem model of the North Sea (Ecopath with Ecosim) to simulate the impact of changes in sprat biomass on the wider ecosystem. Both direct and indirect ecosystem responses to change were estimated: direct responses were linked to the availability of sprat as prey for predators, while indirect responses were linked to changes in biomasses of other species, and the associated impacts of predation pressure and food availability.
In the Northeast Atlantic, the necessary tools and expertise exist to provide evidence to underpin Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) that recognises the impacts of environmental variation on production and assesses the performance of different management strategies against ecosystem objectives such as the potential trade-offs between forage fish harvest and predator needs.