The EU Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for spurdog is set at 0 and the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) has advised that the stock is depleted. Spurdog spawning biomass is currently at the lowest observed level, although stable in recent years. Spurdog is a long-lived, slow growing, and late maturing species and therefore is particularly vulnerable to fishing mortality. ICES advice is that there should be no target fishery and that by catch in mixed fisheries should be reduced to the lowest possible level. It recommends that a rebuilding plan should be developed for this stock. The Marine Institute supports ICES advice and further notes that spatial avoidance measures should be put in place to avoid large catches of accidental by-catch. On the basis of the scientific advice, there does not appear to be a case for the re-opening of a commercial fishery for spurdog at this time.