Workshop to compare the indicators for CFP and MSFD D3 management objectives through simulations (WKSIMULD3)

Rapports Scientifiques du CIEM. Volume 6, nº 4The WKSIMULD3 meeting provided a platform for experts from the EU member states to meet and progress the assessment methodology on Criteria 3 of Descriptor 3 upon request by EC (DGENV). WKSIMULD3 is the third of a series of three workshops (WKD3C3SCOPE and WKD3C3THRESHOLDS being the first two) to identify operational indicators for MSFD D3C3. The workshop was organised as a series of presentations with intermittent discussions. The group agreed on a number of stocks to run simulations to explore the relationships between indicators of population traits/dynamics and healthy population structure. The participants found that for demersal stocks in the North Sea, MSE simulations showed decreasing values of D3C3 indicators with increasing fishing mortality. However, the use of age-structure indicators for these stocks is likely to lead to frequent false positives due to the high interannual variability. Age-based simulations were implemented also for pelagic and short-lived stocks, such as mackerel, sprat, and sandeel. The distribution of the threshold values implemented for the stocks did not show a clear response to the fishing regime. As a result, the use of age-structure indicators for these stocks is likely to lead to frequent false positives/negatives. The simulations aimed to validate the population size structure and calculate indicators under different fishing scenarios. In the Mediterranean Sea, length-based simulations were conducted for two hake stocks and one sole stock. The length indicators obtained were compared to historical data to assess the responsiveness of the indicators to exploitation. These results show the behaviour of the length based and of the age-based indicators calculated on observed data. Overall, the indicator status can be well below the average value at Fmsy. Additionally, an exploratory run tested a harvest control rule driven by age-based indicator targets. The outputs can provide directions on how to choose a threshold that can ensure the stock to be in GES. Overall, the workshop findings highlighted the complexity of evaluating indicators for CFP and MSFD D3 management objectives, particularly in relation to the responsiveness of the indicators to fishing pressure and environmental variation. The group emphasized the need for robust and peer-reviewed models to ensure reliable results when evaluating indicators for fish stocks. Additionally, it underscores the challenges associated with using age- and length-based indicators for different species and the importance of considering environmental and recruitment variability in simulations. In conclusion, the series of the 3 workshops contributed valuable insights into the complexities of assessing and comparing indicators for MSFD D3 management objectives, providing important considerations for future assessments and management strategies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recreational sea fishing in Europe in a global contextParticipation rates, fishing effort, expenditure, and implications for monitoring and assessment

Marine recreational fishing (MRF) is a high-participation activity with large economic value and social benefits globally, and it impacts on some fish stocks. Although reporting MRF catches is a European Union legislative requirement, estimates are only available for some countries. Here, data on numbers of fishers, participation rates, days fished, expenditures, and catches of two widely targeted species were synthesized to provide European estimates of MRF and placed in the global context. Uncertainty assessment was not possible due to incomplete knowledge of error distributions; instead, a semi-quantitative bias assessment was made. There were an estimated 8.7 million European recreational sea fishers corresponding to a participation rate of 1.6%. An estimated 77.6 million days were fished, and expenditure was Euro5.9 billion annually. There were higher participation, numbers of fishers, days fished and expenditure in the Atlantic than the Mediterranean, but the Mediterranean estimates were generally less robust. Comparisons with other regions showed that European MRF participation rates and expenditure were in the mid-range, with higher participation in Oceania and the United States, higher expenditure in the United States, and lower participation and expenditure in South America and Africa. For both northern European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, Moronidae) and western Baltic cod (Gadus morhua, Gadidae) stocks, MRF represented 27% of the total removals. This study highlights the importance of MRF and the need for bespoke, regular and statistically sound data collection to underpin European fisheries management. Solutions are proposed for future MRF data collection in Europe and other regions to support sustainable fisheries management.Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer; French Ministry of Fisheries Management; Greek National Data Collection Programme; European Commission, Data Collection Framework; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [MF1221, MF1230, MI001]; Norges Forskningsrad [267808]; State Department of Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; Interreg IVa 2 Seas; Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs; European Fishery Fund; Government of Galicia [ED481B2014/034-0

EVALUATION OF PROBLEMS AND POSSIBILITIES OF INDUSTRIAL FISH UTILISATION FOR HUMAN CONSUPTION

Fish caught by Lithuanian Baltic Sea fishermen is used for industrial purposes to a relatively large proportion – 60–80 percent of the total volume versus 25–30 percent on the global level. There is no fully developed fishmeal industry in Lithuania, so industrial fish species are disposed of at foreign markets. The first sale prices for fish used for human consumption are higher. It is considered that saling sprats and herrings for human consumption would increase fishermen’s income, create an additional profit and value added. The purpose of the study was to determine the economic reasons why a large portion of Lithuanian landings of Baltic Sea pelagic fish species are used for industrial purposes. The study has shown that the main reasons are unstable, seasonal supply of sorted and good quality raw material and the lack of production sales markets. The authors have investigated the problem and proposed possibilities to increase the use of industrial fish for human consumption in Lithuania

Evaluation of problems and possibilities of industrial fish utilisation for human consumption

Fish caught by Lithuanian Baltic Sea fishermen is used for industrial purposes to a relatively large proportion – 60-80 percent of the total volume versus 25-30 percent on the global level. There is no fully developed fishmeal industry in Lithuania, so industrial fish species are disposed of at foreign markets. The first sale prices for fish used for human consumption are higher. It is considered that saling sprats and herrings for human consumption would increase fishermen’s income, create an additional profit and value added. The purpose of the study was to determine the economic reasons why a large portion of Lithuanian landings of Baltic Sea pelagic fish species are used for industrial purposes. The study has shown that the main reasons are unstable, seasonal supply of sorted and good quality raw material and the lack of production sales markets. The authors have investigated the problem and proposed possibilities to increase the use of industrial fish for human consumption in Lithuania

Evaluation of problems and possibilities of industrial fish utilisation for human consumption

Fish caught by Lithuanian Baltic Sea fishermen is used for industrial purposes to a relatively large proportion – 60-80 percent of the total volume versus 25-30 percent on the global level. There is no fully developed fishmeal industry in Lithuania, so industrial fish species are disposed of at foreign markets. The first sale prices for fish used for human consumption are higher. It is considered that saling sprats and herrings for human consumption would increase fishermen’s income, create an additional profit and value added. The purpose of the study was to determine the economic reasons why a large portion of Lithuanian landings of Baltic Sea pelagic fish species are used for industrial purposes. The study has shown that the main reasons are unstable, seasonal supply of sorted and good quality raw material and the lack of production sales markets. The authors have investigated the problem and proposed possibilities to increase the use of industrial fish for human consumption in Lithuania

The Effect of Short-Term Upwelling Events on Fish Assemblages at the South-Eastern Coast of the Baltic Sea

Multiple stressors, such as overfishing, pollution, climate change, biological invasions etc., are affecting fish communities, and thus can have versatile effects on marine ecosystems and socio-economic activities as well. Understanding the changes in the fish community structure is ecologically and economically important, yet a very complex issue, requiring comprehensive analysis of multiple factors. The role of regional oceanographic variability, namely, coastal upwelling, is often neglected when it comes to the analysis of fish assemblages. In this perspective, we were aiming, for the first time in the Baltic Sea, to assess the upwelling influence on fish communities and fish community-based ecological indices used under Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The study covered a long-term period (2000–2019) for upwelling identified by satellite data analysis and fish gillnet surveys, performed in three distinct locations in the coastal waters of the SE Baltic Sea. Overall, our study revealed that temporal dynamics of fish abundance and community composition were associated with the presence of coastal upwelling. The study outcomes suggest that the fish community was more diverse and a higher number of some fish species was observed before upwelling. During upwelling, there was more evident dominance of 1–2 main marine fish species. Through the changes in fish abundance and species composition upwelling was also responsible for the changes in fish community structure-based indices for marine environment status, i.e., in the majority of the cases a decrease in Trophic, Piscivorous Fish, and Diversity indices were observed. Our study demonstrates that upwelling can affect both, the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of coastal fish communities, therefore, it is important to consider this when predicting shifts in the distribution of fish stocks or assessing environmental status indicators, especially under changing climate. We believe that our approach adds novel information to the study of coastal ecosystems of the Baltic Sea and is important for better management of socio-economic activities in the coastal zone

Baltic Fisheries Assesment Working Group

The main ToR of WGBFAS is to assess the status and produce a draft advice on fishing opportu-nities for 2024 for the following stocks: • Sole in Division 3.a, SDs 20–24 (Skagerrak and Kattegat, western Baltic Sea; catch advice) • Cod in Kattegat SD 21 (catch advice) • Cod in SDs 22–24 (western Baltic; catch advice) • Cod in SDs 24–32 (eastern Baltic; catch advice) • Herring in SDs 25–27, 28.2, 29 and 32 (central Baltic Sea; catch advice) • Herring in SD 28.1 (Gulf of Riga; catch advice) • Herring in SDs 30-31 (Gulf of Bothnia; catch advice) • Sprat in SDs 22–32 (Baltic Sea; catch advice) • Plaice in SDs 21–23 (Kattegat, Belt Seas, and the Sound; catch advice) • Plaice in SDs 24–32 (Baltic Sea, excluding the Sound and Belt Seas; catch advice) • Brill in SDs 22-32 (Baltic Sea; stock status advice for years 2024, 2025 and 2026) • Dab in SDs 22-32(Baltic Sea; stock status advice for years 2024, 2025 and 2026) The working group fulfilled the ToRs in assessing the stock status and produced draft advice, including, where relevant, forecasts for fishing opportunities for all stocks with one exception. The assessment for cod in SDs22-24 (western Baltic) was downgraded from category 1 to cate-gory 3 due to unreliable F estimates. However, trends in SSB are still considered reliable and are used as basis for the advice. The WG was not requested to produce advice for four flounder stocks in the Baltic Sea (flounder in SD22-23, flounder in SDs 24-25, flounder in SDs 26+28, and flounder in SDs 27, 29-32) and turbot in SDs 22-32). For these stocks, however, data were com-piled and updated, and update assessments were conducted. In the introductory chapter of this report the WG, in agreement with the other ToRs, considers and comments on the ecosystem and fisheries overviews, reviews the progress on benchmark processes, identifies the data needed for next year’s data call with some suggestions for improvements in the data call, and summarizes general and stock-specific research needs. The introduction further summarizes the work of other WGs relevant to WGBFAS, and the assessment methods used. Finally, the introduction presents a brief overview of each stock and reviews the recently published work on ecosystem effects on fish populations in the Baltic Sea. The analytical models used for the stock assessments were SAM, Stock Synthesis (SS) and SPiCT. For most flatfish (data limited stocks), CPUE trends from bottom-trawl surveys were used in the assessment