--- title: "Portugal's 8 bottom-trawler fleet operated in NAFO area; EU Data Protection Law blocks STATLANT data sharing" sdDatePublished: "2026-08-06T15:40:00Z" source: "http://www.nafo.int/Portals/0/PDFs/sc/2026/scs26-10.pdf" topics: - name: "commercial fishing" identifier: "medtop:20000213" locations: - "Portugal" --- Portugal's 8 bottom-trawler fleet operated in NAFO area; EU Data Protection Law blocks STATLANT data sharing Portuguese Research Report for 2020 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int Serial No. N7729 NAFO SCS Doc. 26/10 SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL MEETING – JUNE 2026 PORTUGUESE RESEARCH REPORT FOR 2025 by R. Alpoim, S. Dores and P. Gonçalves INSTITUTO PORTUGUÊS DO MAR E DA ATMOSFERA – IPMA, I.P. Av. Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, 6, 1495-006, Lisboa, Portugal A. Status of the fisheries The 2025 Portuguese nominal catches in STATLANT are not available, so Table I-A is not available and Table I-B was not updated. Due to some constrains concerning EU Data Protection Law, Portugal has decided not to share STATLANT data to NAFO. Portugal considers that the level of aggregation of STATLANT data published on NAFO website will allow to identify single operators and, therefore, this data should not be made public. In any case, Portugal is also aware that NAFO Secretariat has already the data needed for scientific and control purposes (CESAG) and that STATLANT data is unnecessary. In 2025, 8 bottom trawlers composed the Portuguese fleet that operated in the NAFO area. Effort data in days was supplied by the Portuguese administration. The update for the past years (2000-2015) was extracted from Database STATLANT 21B, on May 21, 2017 and the most recent data was considered provisional (Table II). B. Portuguese Annual Sampling Program 1. Catch and effort sampling. Effort and CPUE data for 2025 Portuguese trawl fishery on the NAFO Regulatory Area were not presented this year. 2. Biological Sampling In 2025, biological sampling was obtained from one stern trawler fishing in Div. 3L, 3M and 3N between February and September. Apart from species under moratoria, a priority to be sampled whenever they appear in the hauls, biological sampling was conducted for the two most abundant species in each haul, following the NAFO sampling recommendations. Redfish and Greenland halibut were sampled in Div. 3L, 3M and 3N (Tab. III). American plaice and Roughhead grenadier were sampled in Div. 3L and 3M and Cod was sampled in Div. 3M. Since 1996, all commercial information is representative of the catch as a whole, although sampling continues to be carried out by sex, with the exception of cod, white hake, Atlantic halibut, pollock, wolffish and haddock. Mean weight and mean weight in the catch are derived from the length-weight relationships calculated from the commercial sampling in 2025 and are presented in Table IV. 2 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int 2.1. Catch and by-catch composition of the 2025 trawl fishery (130mm codend mesh size). The regular mesh size in the codend used by the trawlers fishing groundfish was the 130mm and, when the mesh size is not mentioned it, means that the sample refers to the 130mm mesh size. 2.1.1. Cod Div. 3M Information on length composition of the cod trawl catch in Div. 3M is available for February, March, August and September (Table V, Fig. 1), from 127 m to 647 m depth. Lengths between 21 cm and 108 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 48 cm (mean length and weight of 51 cm and 1427 g). 2.1.2. Redfish Div. 3L Information on length composition of the redfish trawl catches in Div. 3L is available only for September (Table VI, Fig. 2), from 262 m to 369 m depth. Lengths between 21 cm and 57 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 27 cm (mean length and weight of 30 cm and 434 g). 2.1.3. Redfish Div. 3M Information on length composition of the redfish trawl catches in Div. 3M is available for February, March, August and September (Table VII, Fig. 2), from 264 m to 690 m depth. Lengths between 18 cm and 54 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 30 cm (mean length and weight of 30.9 cm and 425.1 g). 2.1.4. Redfish Div. 3N Information on length composition of the redfish trawl catches in Div. 3N is available only for September (Table VIII, Fig. 2), from 270 m to 384 m depth. Lengths between 21 cm and 39 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 30 cm (mean length and weight of 29.9 cm and 397.8 g). 2.1.5. American plaice Div. 3L Information on length composition of the American plaice by-catch in Div. 3L is available only for September (Table IX, Fig. 3), from 236 m to 288 cm depth. Lengths between 33 cm and 49 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 39 cm (mean length and weight of 39.8 cm and 741.2 g). 2.1.6. American plaice Div. 3M Information on length composition of the American plaice by-catch in Div. 3M is available for February, March and September (Table X, Fig. 3), from 146 m to 620 cm depth. Lengths between 33 cm and 66 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 45 cm (mean length and weight of 47.0 cm and 1151.4 g). 3 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int 2.1.7. Greenland halibut Div. 3L Information on length composition of the Greenland halibut catches in Div. 3L is available for February, March and September (Table XI, Fig. 4), from 812 m to 1540 m depth. Lengths between 30 cm and 72 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 48 cm (mean length and weight of 49.8 cm and 1164.6 g). 2.1.8. Greenland halibut Div. 3M Information on length composition of the Greenland halibut catches in Div. 3M is available only for February (Table XII, Fig. 4), from 573 m to 741 m depth. Lengths between 24 cm and 54 cm dominated the catch, with no clear modal class (mean length and weight of 38.1 cm and 576.9 g). 2.1.9. Greenland halibut Div. 3N Information on length composition of the Greenland halibut catches in Div. 3N is available only for September (Table XIII, Fig. 4), from 496 m to 540 m depth. Lengths between 30 cm and 51 cm dominated the catch, with modal class at 39 cm (mean length and weight of 38.8 cm and 562.5 g). 2.1.10. Roughhead grenadier Div. 3L Information on length composition of the Roughhead grenadier catches in Div. 3L is available only for September (Table XIV, Fig. 5), from 290 m to 1253 m depth. Lengths between 30 cm and 72 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 48 cm (mean length and weight of 48.4 cm and 732.8 g). 2.1.11. Roughhead grenadier Div. 3N Information on length composition of the Roughhead grenadier catches in Div. 3N is available only for September (Table XV, Fig. 5), from 303 m to 411 m depth. Lengths between 42 cm and 57 cm dominated the catch, with a modal class at 51 cm (mean length and weight of 49.2 cm and 755.7 g). 3. Acknowledgements This study was supported by the European Commission (Program for the Collection of Data in Fisheries Sector) and IPMA, I.P. 4. References ALPOIM, R., GODINHO, M. L., SANTOS, E. and ÁVILA de MELO, A. M. 1998. "Portuguese research Report for 1998". NAFO SCS Doc. 98/13 Ser. No N3025, 38p. ÁVILA de MELO, A. M., ALPOIM, R. 1995. "Portuguese Cod Fisheries in NAFO Divisions 3N and 3O, 1989-93". NAFO Sci. Coun. Studies 23: 65-84. 4 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int ÁVILA de MELO, A. M., ALPOIM, R. 1996. "Greenland halibut deepwater fishery in Divisions 3L and 3N: an analysis of catch rate trends from Portuguese trawlers, 1988 -1995." NAFO SCR Doc. 96/33 Ser. No N2708,16p. 5 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int Table I-A. PORTUGUESE NOMINAL TRAWL CATCHES (mt) IN NAFO AREA, 2025, not available, see text. 6 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int Table I-B. PORTUGUESE NOMINAL TRAWL CATCHES (mt) IN NAFO DIV. 3LMNO (data extracted from NAFO Database STATLANT 21 on 27 April 2021), not updated, see text. SPECIES / YEAR 2020* 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Cod 4234 6442 4836 5473 5699 4889 5504 4814 2946 2832 1528 1003 434 255 177 105 281 Redfish 13659 12619 10412 10300 9093 8800 9509 9504 8953 9983 10541 9361 7768 7204 7805 7338 5971 American plaice 458 351 206 359 322 291 275 407 468 198 160 298 355 443 376 371 517 Yellowtail flounder 199 15 31 280 13 35 31 94 267 71 27 71 145 134 188 68 Witch flounder 209 67 118 287 206 55 186 128 108 128 71 131 221 124 141 150 591 Greenland halibut 2419 2288 2072 1920 1583 1722 1938 2124 2051 2493 2257 2075 1976 1873 2326 2256 1888 Atlantic halibut 249 229 154 296 207 200 133 96 70 46 56 469 23 32 43 20 59 Roughhead grenadier 7 35 31 27 41 90 293 88 488 251 83 266 50 34 77 262 381 Roundnose grenadier 19 25 9 1 19 13 42 10 39 48 27 198 29 37 54 Anarhichas spp. 2 13 3 2 5 5 4 4 6 18 13 41 25 16 28 32 45 Hadocck 2 15 153 30 181 78 64 13 1 3 1 2 6 23 Pollock 1 4 White hake 31 21 28 69 109 133 109 81 19 25 17 24 55 62 102 157 1266 Red hake 2 1 1 69 1 3 2 4 18 13 Silver hake 194 77 135 149 392 266 468 30 35 6 Capelin Skates 300 117 70 246 359 360 452 496 427 435 304 1045 1252 1058 1003 576 1550 Monkfish 3 12 20 10 24 7 4 1 11 3 13 35 34 6 73 Squid 334 11 10 12 1 2 29 5 2 17 11 Shrimp 5 15 332 50 Others/Unidentified 1 322 201 48 160 29 11 77 2 1 216 6 15 TOTAL 22315 22632 18321 19448 18221 16901 19149 18011 16111 16641 15125 15426 12357 11180 12537 11491 12812 * 2020 STATLANT 21 provided by NAFO Secretariat in June 2021 7 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int Table I-B. Cont. SPECIES / YEAR 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 Cod 602 488 361 192 325 550 1545 1316 1670 2640 3657 5986 13362 15142 24130 12963 Redfish 7804 6346 5331 5678 6082 2370 1126 2152 3297 8614 9831 6584 12165 17803 19032 19137 American plaice 748 634 636 400 718 361 389 289 170 346 323 453 1183 715 1821 1813 Yellowtail flounder 287 123 350 151 428 87 21 11 5 Witch flounder 485 436 576 230 509 381 350 238 385 579 291 851 1980 2257 15 10 Greenland halibut 4369 4318 5027 4688 3997 3245 3347 3313 1942 5970 8811 10547 13961 11171 3616 4194 Atlantic halibut 89 47 45 28 51 29 15 9 18 45 50 79 229 96 152 Roughhead grenadier 302 508 613 397 1302 1088 765 787 1377 2224 1996 2004 4053 3211 290 911 Roundnose grenadier Anarhichas spp. 112 88 142 61 552 139 184 121 1358 3219 2303 1697 2842 1941 Hadocck 141 78 22 12 11 5 42 2 10 10 165 82 17 Pollock 114 13 41 29 424 11 White hake 4090 1678 8 Red hake 2 1968 273 43 76 19 54 124 230 270 365 467 1010 469 104 Silver hake Capelin 14 Skates 1942 1362 883 672 2168 1105 908 796 2062 6239 7604 7019 23304 13557 652 1075 Monkfish 165 71 37 7 15 Squid 1 4 47 Shrimp 16 420 289 227 203 170 17 Others/Unidentified 13 322 40 1 115 38 115 23 15 12 245 325 725 779 158 6 TOTAL 21265 18483 14719 12842 16561 9621 9010 9172 12543 30181 35548 36243 75327 67194 49885 40269 8 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization www.nafo.int Table II. PORTUGUESE TRAWL EFFORT IN FISHING DAYS IN NAFO Div. 3LMNO (2000 – 2015 data extracted from NAFO - Database S