Barracouta MSC RBF Status

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

AttributeScore
Average age at maturity1
Average maximum age2
Fecundity1
Average maximum size2
Average size at maturity2
Reproductive strategy1
Trophic level3

Susceptibility Attributes

AttributeScore
Availability1
Encounterability2
Selectivity3
Post-capture mortality3

Consequence Analysis

Vulnerable Subcomponent(s)Score
All80

More information on the Marine Stewardship Council Risk-Based Framework (MSC-RBF) Methodology is available on our MSC-RBF Assessment page: