The common sole stock in the North Sea has grown in the past years and is since 2011 within biological safe limits again. The fishing pressure is almost at the level that is determined in the long-term management plan for sole.
The minimum mesh size of 80mm in the beam trawl fishery on sole in the southern North Sea leads to considerable bycatch of undersized young fish, mainly young plaice. Undersized fish needs to be discarded back in the sea. Beam trawl fisheries discard about half of the total catch. The main part of these discards doesn’t survive. Fishing with bottom trawls touch the seabed and there is a direct disruption of the bottom life. Intensive fishing with a beam trawl leads on the long-term to a change in species composition in sea.
The management of this fishery is done at EU-level and a long-term management plan for sole has been accepted. This plan is positive for sole. However, measures are needed to limit the bycatch and environmental impacts.