ALBERT

Description: The Working Group on Fisheries Benthic Impact and Trade-offs (WGFBIT) develops methods and performs assessments to evaluate benthic impact from fisheries at regional scale, while con-sidering fisheries and seabed impact trade-offs. In this report, new fishery benthic impact assessments are carried out for several sub-regions in the Mediterranean (Greek waters, South Adriatic Sea, Sicily waters). For other regions, updates of the whole assessment or specific steps only were presented. A standard advice sheet for the regional benthic assessments, intended as input to the next generation of the ICES Ecosystem and Fisheries Overviews, was finalised and compiled for some regions as example (Greek wa-ters, Baltic Sea). A validation of the longevity relationships using new data was executed for the Kattegat area and the Southern North Sea. In relation to the methodology, some recommenda-tions were formulated concerning the update on depletion rates, the use of epifauna- or infauna-based data, guidance on which set of epibenthic species to include and the time scale for setting the average swept-area-ratio (SAR) used in model fitting and assessment. A benchmarking pro-cess comparing available benthic impact assessment approaches for MSFD descriptor 6 “Seafloor integrity” is needed, as the WGFBIT approach (relative benthic state) is not the only way to assess benthic impacts from physical disturbances. A start was made to explore how to incorporate more explicitly ecosystem functioning in to the WGFBIT seafloor assessment methodology. An improved understanding of the relationships between total community biomass and ecosystem functioning may assist in setting acceptable thresholds for ecosystem impacts from trawling. Furthermore, an improved understanding of the link between species functional effect traits and proxies and processes for specific ecosystem functions could help increase our ability to predict the impact of fishing disturbance on benthic ecosystem functioning more accurately. The ecosys-tem function we focus on is the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter. Two approaches were discussed (i) Biological traits approach focusing on the linkage between biological traits and eco-system functions and (ii) biogeochemical modelling approach using the established the OMEXDIA model.

Description: FBIT

Description: Published

Description: Non Refereed

Description: Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report, on methods for supporting stock assessment in the Mediterranean (STECF-21-02), addresses the data checking and preparation for stock assessment once the data has been submitted following the annual data calls. The report provides an overview of the data errors and quality control carried out on both commercial landings data and MEDITS survey data. The analyses reported also address the small fraction of commercial catch with sampling gaps, and how these are assigned appropriate length frequency distributions. The results of these check and assignments are provided by species, GSA and country. Quality checks were carried out on Medits data check consistency of the main reporting files and highlighting where data inconsistencies occurred. Additionally the total landings reported to the European Commission under the Black & Med-Sea data call, the Fisheries Independent Data call and the Annual Economic Report data call were compared at species aggregated to GSA. Some important differences were observed and these are reported. In addition the EWG reviewed a technical report on the sampling of commercial catch in the Greek Fisheries, the review and some suggested further work are included in this report.

Description: European Union, Joint Research Centre

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report is the 11th of a suite of STECF EWG reports dedicated to the evaluation of the implementation of the Western Mediterranean Sea Multi-Annual management Plan (hereafter, MAP), following EWG reports 18-09, 18-13, 19-01, 19-14, 20-13, 21-01, 21- 13, 22-01, 22- 11 and 23-01. The group was requested to update the graphical representation of fishing effort time series evolution by MS, GSA, vessel length and gear with the latest data obtained from the FDI datacall (TOR 1). Together with the fishing effort time series the group was requested to update the F-E analysis by stock and gear using the outputs from STECF EWG 23-09 (TOR 2). The group was also requested to collect qualitative information on the fuel related situation to potentially estimate cost changes in 2022-2023 (TOR2). Finally, the group was requested to implement mixed fisheries bio-economic models to run a number of different scenarios up to 2030 to test a combination of measures taking into account all the effort reductions, closure areas and maximum catch limits (MCLs) introduced in the western Mediterranean MAP since 2020 (TOR 3-4). Within the scenarios a combination of effort reductions and MSLs were tested, together with the introduction of spatio-temporal closures and selectivity restrictions to obtain compensation mechanisms by MSs. A total number of 13 scenarios were requested, 6 of which were considered priority scenarios. For TOR 1 time series of fishing effort in fishing days, days at sea, hours at sea, GT x fishing days, and kW x fishing days by Country (Spain, France, Italy), EMU (1 and 2), GSA (1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), gear (OTB, OTT, GNS, GTR, LLS, other), and fleet segment (〈12m, 12-18m, 18-24m, 〉24m) were produced. Graphs for fishing days are reported in the report while the rest of the data are submitted in Annex I as an Excel table. The comparison of fishing days for trawlers (OTB, OTM, OTT, PTB, PTM and TBB as per EU regulation 2019/2236) declared in the FDI official datacall and reported in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 regulations were reported this year as well. Across fleet segments, the fishing effort from the regulation is greater, for most segments, than that estimated through the FDI database. This could be due to the regulation values being calculated considering the maximum fishing days possible for the year and also difficult to estimate the possible transfer among fleet segments. An additional analysis (section 2.3) was added to provide a broad context of the state and evolution of the fishery in EMU-1 (encompassing GSAs 1,5,6,7), through the detailed examination of weights, values and prices landed by stocks and fleet segments using the FDI data submitted to the group. It was observed that during the implementation of the MAP, all fleet segments have not evolved in the same way. If all demersal trawlers seem to face a substantial contraction of their landed values, deep-water trawlers are increasing their landed value, most likely thanks to an increased ARA price. Still, for many other fleets, the transition rates before and during the plan remains similar. For TOR 2 the F-E analysis was updated and as in previous years a linear relationship consistent across GSAs and stocks was not found for any gear. Those stocks were there seem to be a linear relationship, such as HKE, ARA, DPS (except for DPS 1), it was shown that there is an effect of the GSA level which should be accounted for in future modelling exercises potentially using mixed effect models. Concerning fuel prices the group noted that marine fuel prices are significantly influenced by global oil prices which are driven by factors like international agreements, supply disruptions, or changes in demand. Geopolitical tensions and conflicts, sanctions or embargoes on certain countries can affect the availability and cost of marine fuels. Technology and efficiency improvements can impact fuel efficiency and investments in energy-efficient vessels and propulsion systems can lead to cost savings. Also, environmental concerns, such as reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable fishing practices, are affecting fuel usage and prices. It's also important to consider that marine fuel prices can vary significantly by region and port, depending on local factors, taxes, subsidies, transportation costs and regulations. In particular, governments may provide subsidies or financial incentives to the fishing industry to mitigate the impact of high fuel prices or promote environmentally friendly practices. Within the group the EUMOFA and AER data are used to parameterize the models. On these data the group highlighted two issues for a correct interpretation of the model results: 1. The financial situation which the bio-economic models present for the year 2022 and beyond depend a lot on the assumptions regarding the development of fuel prices but include no mitigation measures for the fishing companies (like de minimis payments to cover parts of the increase in fuel costs 2022). STECF plenary (22-03) agreed not to include those support payments to allow distinguishing between the impacts of the MAP from external economic shocks. 2. STECF PLEN (22-03) observed that the nowcast for 2023 (that are now used as input data for the models) should be interpreted with caution due to the fact that the development in the second half of the year (energy and fish prices, inflation, interest rates etc.) is unknown and highly uncertain. FOR TOR 3 results for EMU 1 are obtained from the IAM and the ISIS-Fish models: from the IAM model only scenarios adjusting trawler fishing effort to reach Fmsy of Hake (i.e. scenarios A and D) foresee exploitation levels in line with the objectives of the plan, i.e. all stocks at Fmsy in 2025. With the two other simulated scenarios, in which only maximum catch limit on ARA was applied, with or without selectivity measures on deep water trawls, i.e. scenarios Status Quo and L, respectively, the stocks of Hake in GSA1567, red mullet in GSA1, red mullet in GSA6, Nephrops in GSA 6, and Blue and red shrimp in GSA 5 do not reach the objective of Fmsy in 2025. Scenarios allowing to reach Fmsy for all stocks foresee some significant negative socio-economic impacts for French and Spanish trawlers in the short and medium term, with a reduction in their Gross Value Added, Gross Profit, employment in terms of Full Time Equivalent (FTE), and average wages. From the ISIS-Fish model results showed that the SQ scenario did not achieve the objective of the plan regarding HKE, as fishing mortality stays way above Fmsy and the SSB below Blim. The four other scenarios, A, B, C and E, on the contrary succeeded in reaching Fmsy at the latest in 2028 and Hake SSB was above Blim but below Bpa starting in 2029. The determinant factor was the adjustment of effort to reach Fmsy, which implied reductions in effort level of more than 60% compared to 2022 FDI values. Economic indicators for ISIS- Fish could not be reported. In EMU 2 results are obtained from models BEMTOOL and SMART: from the BEMTOOL model for ARS, MUT9 and DPS the Fmsy level is reached by 2025 for all the scenarios explored. For DPS an increase in F is expected in 2024 for scenario L, due to the reallocation of the effort induced by the catch limit, but in 2025 the value is below Fmsy. For HKE and NEP9 only scenarios A, C and D (which are forced to reach Fmsy by 2025) allow to reach Fmsy in 2025, while SQ and L have F well above the reference point. It should be noticed that the change in selectivity implemented in scenario L show a slight improvement in respect to the SQ scenario for HKE, but it does not allow to reach Fmsy in 2025. As a general consideration, the scenarios most impacting on the effort highlight the risk of underutilization of the stocks that currently already are close or in line with the reference point. Results for the stock of MUT 10 and ARA in 9-10-11 should be taken with caution as no analytical assessment was available for these two stocks in the last two years. The results of the economic indicators showed that in the short term for all the alternative scenarios is expected a decrease, which generally is followed by an increase in the medium-long term. For the SMART model for four of the five stocks (ARS, DPS, HKE, and MUT) the scenarios associated with the best effect on the stock are A, C, D, E and L. For NEP, the situation seems to be much more complex and only scenario A allows you to get close to the BPA (Precautionary Biomass Level) value. However, all the simulated scenarios show a substantial reduction in Gross profit margin. Results suggest that in EMU 1 and 2 Fmsy in 2025 is reached for all stocks only when effort is decreased as much as 60% to 85% depending on the fleet segment observed, with bigger segments suffering a higher reduction. Scenarios accounting for an MCL on ARA and ARS do not allow to reach Fmsy for all stocks including HKE. In EMU 2, the ARS, MUT and DPS stocks are already close or at Fmsy becoming underutilized due to the reductions to bring HKE and NEP at Fmsy.

Description: European Commission

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: The objective of the Twelfth Workshop on the Development of Quantitative Assessment Methodologies based on Life-history traits, exploitation characteristics, and other relevant parameters for data-limited stocks (WKLIFE XII) was to further develop methods for stock assessment, stock status, and catch advice for stocks in ICES Categories 2–6, focusing on the provision of sound advice rules adhering to the ICES advisory framework and principles for fisheries management. This report addresses (i) questions from different ICES assessment working groups and stakeholders regarding the applicability of the data-limited technical guidelines, (ii) the prioritisation of future tasks regarding the ICES data-limited framework, (iii) further development and testing of data-limited methodologies with specific focus on the review of the current ICES advice framework for stock Categories 4-6, spatial indicators, and reference points for surplus production models, and (iv) other relevant data-limited topics. A survey of participants resulted in a high prioritisation score of four topics of the ICES data-limited roadmap: (1) risk equivalence, best available science, guidelines and communication of data-limited methods, (2) value of information of different data-types and data preparation, (3) better advice for slow-growing species, and (4) observation and parameter uncertainty in empirical harvest control rules and length-based approaches. The current ICES approach for Category 5 and 6 stocks, with an advice for constant annual catch and a periodic reduction with a precautionary buffer, is a form of non-adaptive management and an initial review revealed that it may not be precautionary if a stock is overfished but also overly precautionary in other situations. An exploration of spatial indicators showed that these have the potential to inform on stock status. A stochastic definition of MSY Btrigger for surplus production models takes uncertainty into account and leads to higher reference values than the current definition for stocks with low and intermediate biomass variability.

Description: Published

Description: Refereed

Description: The Working Group on Fisheries Benthic Impact and Trade-offs (WGFBIT) develops methods and performs assessments to evaluate benthic impact from fisheries at regional scale, while con- sidering fisheries and seabed impact trade-offs. In this report, new fishery benthic impact assessments (ToR A) are shown out for several sub- regions in (French Mediterranean, Celtic Seas). For other regions, updates of the whole assess- ment or specific steps only were presented. To further standardise the different components of the WGFBIT approach across all (sub-)re- gional assessments, a more detail overview of those components was compiled. These compo- nents were slightly different among those regions, related to variation in data availability, envi- ronmental characteristics and implementation possibilities among the (sub-)regions. In WGFBIT, assessments are sometimes based on trawl or grab data, which are sampling differ- ent components of the seafloor ecosystem and can have consequences on the created sensitivity layer. Therefore, there is looked in more detail how the sensitivity outcome (and layers) can dif- fer due to the use of benthic data gathered with different gears (grab/core, trawl or video). The preliminary comparability analyses are performed on different levels: (1) based on co-located sampling; (2) comparing sensitivity maps of the (sub-) area, based on different gears. There were differences observed in longevity distribution at locations sampled with different gears and dif- ferences in data and models lead also to differences in the sensitivity layers. The WGFBIT seafloor assessment framework is not the only way to assess benthic impacts from physical disturbance. A discussion session was held on how the future workflow on advice that ICES WGFBIT assessment contribute to, will be organized. Marine sediments harbour significant levels of biodiversity that play a key role in ecosystem functions and services such as biogeochemical cycling, carbon storage and the regulation of cli- mate. Through the removal of fauna, changes in physico-chemical nature and resuspension of sediment, bottom trawling may result in significant changes in the ecosystem functioning of shelf seas. An assumption of the current PD model is that high community biomass implies higher ecosystem functioning. However, total community biomass does not necessarily reflect changes in species and functional trait composition which play a key role in regulating ecosystem func- tions. ToR D is working on an improved understanding of the link between species functional effect traits and proxies and processes for specific ecosystem functions to improve our ability to predict the impact of fishing disturbance on benthic ecosystem functioning more accurately. Links between species traits and biogeochemical parameters and the impact of trawling on these links are being explored using multivariate ordination analyses using different fauna and bioge- ochemical datasets collected in the North Sea, Celtic Sea, Kattegat, Baltic Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. Changes due to trawling in the trajectories of species densities over time and the concurrent changes in the bioturbation and bioirrigation potential of communities are being modelled using a combination of data-driven mechanistic model and a biogeochemical model. We report on the different data analysis methods that ToR D members have developed over the last year.

Description: ICES

Description: Published

Description: Refereed