Changes in fish distribution are being observed across the globe. In Europe's Common Fisheries Policy, the share of the catch of each fish stock is split among management areas using a fixed allocation key known as ‘Relative Stability’: in each management area, member states get the same proportion of the total catch each year. That proportion is largely based on catches made by those member states in the 1970s. Changes in distribution can, therefore, result in a mismatch between quota shares and regional abundances within management areas, with potential repercussions for the status of fish stocks and the fisheries that depend on them. Assessing distribution changes is crucial to ensure adequate management and sustainable exploitation of our fish resources. We analysed scientific survey data using a three‐tiered analytical approach to provide, for the first time, an overview of changes in distribution for 19 northeast Atlantic fish species encompassing 73 commercial stocks over 30 yr. All species have experienced changes in distribution, five of which did so across management areas. A cross‐species analysis suggested that shifts in areas of suitable thermal habitat, and density‐dependent use of these areas, are at least partly responsible for the observed changes. These findings challenge the current use of relative stability to allocate quotas.

中文翻译：

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不断变化的鱼类分布挑战欧洲渔业的有效管理

在全球范围内观察到鱼类分布的变化。在欧洲的共同渔业政策中，使用称为“相对稳定性”的固定分配键在管理区域之间分配每种鱼类种群的渔获量份额：在每个管理区域，成员国每年获得相同比例的总渔获量。这一比例主要基于这些成员国在 1970 年代的捕捞量。因此，分配的变化可能导致管理区域内配额份额和区域丰度之间的不匹配，对鱼类种群的状况和依赖它们的渔业产生潜在影响。评估分布变化对于确保充分管理和可持续开发我们的鱼类资源至关重要。我们使用三层分析方法分析了科学调查数据，以提供，首次概述了 30 年来 19 种东北大西洋鱼类的分布变化，其中包括 73 种商业种群。所有物种都经历了分布的变化，其中五个跨越管理区域发生了变化。跨物种分析表明，适宜热栖息地区域的变化以及这些区域的密度依赖性使用，至少是观察到的变化的部分原因。这些发现挑战了目前使用相对稳定性来分配配额的做法。这些区域的密度依赖使用，至少是观察到的变化的部分原因。这些发现挑战了目前使用相对稳定性来分配配额的做法。这些区域的密度依赖使用，至少是观察到的变化的部分原因。这些发现挑战了目前使用相对稳定性来分配配额的做法。