Recommendations on rock lobster TAC’s for the Tristan group of islands for the 2012/13 season.

Based on the similar approach as used last year, but updated to take account of recent decisions about the probable impact of the OLIVA incident on the resource at Nightingale and Inaccessible, and on the lobster growth rates to use in the calculations, TACs have been calculated for all four islands. These calculations indicate large reductions at Inaccessible and Gough, which follow primarily from a further decrease in CPUE at the former, and a curtailment of the previous increase at the latter. Given the intended move to a management procedure approach for setting catch limits by next year, and taking cognisance of the greater industrial stability that such an approach intends, it is recommended that the TAC reductions as now calculated for Inaccessible and Gough be considered as being phased in over two years. This work is ongoing and initial results on which recommendations can be based are anticipated in September 2012.