Blue ling

Blue ling was MSC-certified again in 2025. Blue ling is mainly caught as bycatch in Icelandic MSC fisheries. MSC-certified blue ling is caught using anchored gillnets, handlines and pole-lines, demersal longlines, Danish seines and bottom trawls.

The latest assessment of this fishery was in 2015.

The status of blue ling stocks is moderate. Biomass is above possible reference values, but recruitment is low and the species’ sensitivity to fishing is insufficiently known.

Fishing with anchored gillnets may result in bycatch of vulnerable (ETP) species, but insufficient data are available on this. Discards are expected to be limited, as discarding fish is generally prohibited in Iceland. There is insufficient information on the catch of juvenile fish and other non-target species. Damage to the seabed and disruption of the ecosystem are considered unlikely.

Management is considered largely effective. An ecosystem-based approach is still lacking and the specific management measures for this species are considered only partially effective.