Some Technical Guidance Towards National Fleet Specific Fishing Effort and Catch Data Aggregation

The guidance towards fleet specific fishing effort and catch data aggregation has been compiled in order to enhance and support international data calls recently issued by EU-COM DG MARE and scientifically evaluated by its Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF-SGRST).The recommendations for data aggregation are given in generic formats as the national data bases are assumed to be different. National data base specifics should not imply significant deviations from the recommendations to be followed in the order given. Close cooperation between the national control and enforcement institutes and scientific fisheries institutes is advised.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Report of the SGMED-08-01 Working Group on the Mediterranean Part I

SGMED-08-01 Working Group on the Mediterranean Part I was held during 10-14 March 2008 in Brussels, Belgium. The report is a compilation of information on existing fisheries and stock data in order to update the status of the main demersal stocks and evaluate the exploitation levels with respect to their biological and economic production potentials and the sustainability of the stock by using both trawl surveys and commercial catch/landing data. STECF reviewed the report during its plenary meeting on 14-18 April 2008.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

32nd Prenary Meeting Report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (PLEN-09-03)

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries hold its 32nd plenary on 9-13 Novemebr 2009 in Brussels. The terms of reference included both issues assessments of STECF working group reports and additional requests submitted to the STECF by the Commission. Topics dealt with ranged from fisheries economics to management plan evaluation issues.JRC.DG.G.4-Maritime affair

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Opinion by written procedure - Report of the SGMOS-09-05 Working Group Fishing Effort Regime in the Baltic

SGMOS-09-05 meeting was held on 28 September - 2 October 2009 in Barza d¿ Ispra (Italy). This Section of the report covers the Baltic Sea and provides fleet specific trends in catch (including discards), nominal effort and catch (landings) per unit of effort in order to advise on fleet specific impacts on stocks under multiannual management plans. STECF reviewed the report during its November 2009 plenary meeting and by written procedure in March 2010.JRC.DG.G.4-Maritime affair

29th Plenary Meeting Report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (Plen-08-03)

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries held its 29th plenary on 3-7 November 2008 in Brussels. The terms of reference included both assessments of STECF working group reports and additional requests submitted to the STECF by the Commission. Topics dealt with ranged from fisheries economics to stock review issues.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Report of the SGMED-09-03 Working Group on the Mediterranean Part II

SGMED-09-03 meeting was held on 14-18 December 2009 in Barza d¿ Ispra (Italy). The report provides specific stock (by species and GSAs) predictions of stock size, fishing mortality and catches in short term (2009-2011) and medium term (2009-2018) under different management scenarios, for the main demersal and small pelagic Mediterranean stocks. STECF reviewed the report during its Plenary meeting on 26-30 April 2010 in Norwich.JRC.DG.G.4-Maritime affair

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Report of the SGMOS-09-05 Working Group on Fishing Effort Regimes Regarding Annex IIA of TAC & Quota Regulations and Celtic Sea

SGMOS-09-05 meeting was held on 28 September - 2 October 2009 in Barza d¿ Ispra (Italy). This Section of the report covers the analyses in relation to Annex IIA-C of the annual TAC and Quota regulations and the Celtic Sea and provides fleet specific trends in catch (including discards), nominal effort and catch (landings) per unit of effort in order to advise on fleet specific impacts on stocks under multiannual management plans. STECF reviewed the report during its 2010 plenary meeting in April 2010.JRC.DG.G.4-Maritime affair

Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) - Report of the SGMED-08-04 Working Group on the Mediterranean Part IV

SGMED-08-04 was held on 6-10 October 2008 in Ponza (Italy). The meeting was the last of a series of four meetings convened in 2008 with the aim of strengthening scientific cooperation and improving scientific advice on the management of stocks of demersal and small pelagics in the Mediterranean. STECF reviewed the report during its Plenary meeting on 3-7 November 2008.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Marine Strategy Framework Directive - Task Group 3 Report - Commercially exploited fish and shellfish

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) (MSFD) requires that the European Commission (by 15 July 2010) should lay down criteria and methodological standards to allow consistency in approach in evaluating the extent to which Good Environmental Status (GES) is being achieved. ICES and JRC were contracted to provide scientific support for the Commission in meeting this obligation. A total of 10 reports have been prepared relating to the descriptors of GES listed in Annex I of the Directive. Eight reports have been prepared by groups of independent experts coordinated by JRC and ICES in response to this contract. In addition, reports for two descriptors (Contaminants in fish and other seafood and Marine Litter) were written by expert groups coordinated by DG SANCO and IFREMER respectively. A Task Group was established for each of the qualitative Descriptors. Each Task Group consisted of selected experts providing experience related to the four marine regions (the Baltic Sea, the Northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea) and an appropriate scope of relevant scientific expertise. Observers from the Regional Seas Conventions were also invited to each Task Group to help ensure the inclusion of relevant work by those Conventions. This is the report of Task Group 3 Commercially exploited fish and shellfish.JRC.DG.G.4-Maritime affair

The effect of natural mortality on the estimation of stock state parameters and derived references for sustainable fisheries management

The present study focuses on sensitivity analyses regarding the effects of various assumptions about the magnitude of natural mortality (M) on resulting stock assessment parameters and derived references for sustainable fisheries management. The results revealed that the estimated exploitation rate is decreasing and the stock size is increasing with increasing M. The recommended and internationally agreed fisheries management references of sustainable exploitation F0.1 and Fmsy are also found to sensitively react to changes in M. Both F0.1 and Fmsy increase with increasing M. All simulations are based on data from the Baltic sprat (Sub-divisions 22-32), which has historically undergone quite large changes in M. Nevertheless, the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is demonstrated to be a rather robust estimator over a wide range of M, including species at a rather low trophic level. The trend to underestimate fishing mortality and to overestimate the stock size with high M might deliver, in comparison with actual catches, a positively biased perception of the state of the stock and its productivity. The elevated risk for sustainable fisheries even increases when underestimated fishing mortalities are compared with overestimated management references of exploitation, like F0.1 and Fmsy. It is recommended to base M assumptions in the assessment of exploited resources and the advisory process to fisheries management to the longevity of the species concerned, if no quantitative information about M is available. Furthermore, M should account for the different ontogenetic stages and for changes in fish condition if observed.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair