Output from the South African Hake OMP-2018 for the 2021 TAC recommendation

The TAC output from the South African hake OMP-2018 for 2021 is 139 109 t, a decrease of 5% from the 2020 TAC. This decrease is mainly a result of reduced commercial catch rates on the west coast in recent years, as well as the low survey abundance estimate from the most recent 2019 south coast survey. The absence of south coast surveys for three of the last four years is a cause for concern. The proportion of M. capensis in the south coast offshore catch remains above OMP projection envelopes; this is a matter which merits further evaluation, for which some suggestions are made.