MSC-Risk-Based Framework Status

86: Pass- Low Risk

The barracouta fishery scored > 80 in the MSC-RBF analysis, passing assessment with low risk of stock damage. The Productivity Susceptibility Analysis indicated barracouta is a moderately productive species, maturing young with high fecundity but growing to a large size and living longer than 10 years. Susceptibility to capture and damage by the fishery was shown to be moderate for this species. There was a low overlap of fishing effort with the distribution of the stock, however, given the depth range of barracouta (< 550 m), the risk of encountering troll gear was assumed to be moderate. No information was available on the likelihood of juveniles being caught; therefore, a default high score was given for the selectivity attribute. The Consequence Analysis showed minimal impact on stock structure and long-term recruitment dynamics, as catch in recent years has declined in concert with market demand, and CPUE has remained relatively stable, despite being substantially lower than historical peaks.

Productivity Attributes

Attribute	Score
Average age at maturity	1
Average maximum age	2
Fecundity	1
Average maximum size	2
Average size at maturity	2
Reproductive strategy	1
Trophic level	3

Susceptibility Attributes

Attribute	Score
Availability	1
Encounterability	2
Selectivity	3
Post-capture mortality	3

Consequence Analysis

Vulnerable Subcomponent(s)	Score
All	80