STECF EXPERT WORKING GROUP EWG 15-12, including a preliminary meeting on data preparation

Transcription

1 STECF EXPERT WORKING GROUP EWG 15-12, including a preliminary meeting on data preparation Stock assessments in the Black Sea 24 September 2 October , Barza d'ispra, Italy DG Mare focal person: Xavier Vazquez and Amanda Perez Chair: Massimiliano Cardinale The European Union (EU) adopted for the first time in 2008 and then for subsequent years autonomous quota and associated technical measures for sprat and turbot fisheries in the Black Sea by EU Member States Bulgaria and Romania. During the 39th plenary session of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), and by initiative of the EU, two recommendations on the Black Sea were adopted at regional level: a roadmap and a set of concrete measures to fight IUU fisheries of turbot and; a common set of technical measures for the piked dogfish. Those measures have been adopted in the light of scientific advice provided by STECF and the GFCM-SAC. The previous STECF Expert Working Group (EWG 14-14), with representation from four of the six countries that border the Black Sea, met in Barza d'ispra (Italy) where relevant data was compiled and stock assessments for the following 9 species were undertaken: sprat, turbot, whiting, Mediterranean horse mackerel, anchovy, piked dogfish, red mullet, Atlantic bonito and rapa whelk. Six of the stock assessments performed (sprat, turbot, Mediterranean horse mackerel, anchovy, piked dogfish and red mullet) were of sufficient quality to provide analytical estimates of recent exploitation rates and stock status in relation to proposed biological reference points. However, only the assessment results for sprat, turbot and red mullet were sufficiently reliable to provide a basis for short-term catch forecasts. Regarding other relevant stocks, the assessment for whiting was considered as being indicative of trends only, while the assessments for Atlantic bonito and rapa whelk were considered inconclusive with respect to stock status. In the light of the above, STECF reviewed gaps in current knowledge and data. Some of the gaps identified were: 1 Data preparatory meeting will take place September (is expected 1 participant for each country). The stock-assessment meeting itself will be at the same venue from 28 September until 2 October. A report shall cover both meetings Page 1

2 Limited survey coverage to provide tuning indices for the assessments; Inadequate sampling of the landings for information on age composition and at sea for information on discards; and Uncertainty whether there are multiple stocks of a given species within the Black Sea, and the boundaries that would separate these stocks. With a view to improve and update the assessments and catch forecasts compatible with high yields and low risk of stock depletion (i.e. MSY perspective) of the concerned stocks and fisheries in the area, which will be the basis for further management measures, STECF is requested to provide scientific advice on the exploitation levels (i.e. fishing mortalities or alike) and present status and recent development of stocks and the marine ecosystem of the Black Sea, including the identification of existing nursery and spawning areas and on the existing measures. With a view to facilitate transfer of knowledge and expertise to the regional multilateral body, it is particularly relevant that to this meeting the GFCM Secretariat will be invited. The results of this meeting will provide valuable information as a basis for further joint analysis and discussions in future GFCM Assessment Working Groups. All these sources of information will provide GFCM-SAC with valuable elements for its scientific deliberations and advice. Particularly important for the success of the STECF work will be the participation of scientists from non-eu countries (Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine and the Russian Federation), to allow strengthened cooperation for the assessment of shared stocks. This EWG meeting will be another step toward a deeper cooperation on fisheries related matters amongst Black Sea scientists which will help feed coastal states' reflections on the direction ahead to improve fisheries management and governance at multilateral level in the Black Sea Region and in the framework of the GFCM. Terms of Reference Without prejudice, and in recognition that it may not be possible to obtain recent information for fisheries conducted by Ukraine, Georgia and the Russian Federation, STECF is requested to provide advice in particular on 2016 catch forecasts compatible with high yields and lower risk of stock depletion as well as on the state of the most relevant exploited stocks with a view to inform management choices, including technical measures, in line with EU policy objectives and principles for sustainable fisheries management for the stocks listed in Annex I, in line with a MSY perspective. The EWG is requested to address the following Terms of Reference: 1. Compile and provide complete sets of national annual data on landings, discards, landings at age, discards at age, mean weight at age in the landings, mean weight at age in the Page 2

3 discards, maturity ogives at age and natural mortality at age by area for the longest time series available up to and including Special focus shall be given to bycatch of elasmobranch. The data should be compiled based on official data bases, best expert knowledge and by using the results of scientific surveys. 2. Compile and provide all fishery independent data (pelagic, demersal, hydro-acoustic surveys) for the stocks as available, their juveniles. In order to allow the use of such data to potentially calibrate virtual population analyses, the indices of abundance at age should be compiled for the longest time series available up to and including Compile and provide complete sets of annual fishing effort data (number of vessels, kw*days, GT*days, fished hours) by nation, for fleets and gears (by mesh size where applicable), and area for the longest time series available up to and including Data on fishing effort shall be provided by fleet segments and shall be the most detailed possible to support the establishment of a fishing effort or capacity baseline. 4. Assess trends in historic stock parameters for the longest time series available up to and including 2014 (fishing mortality at age, spawning stock biomass, stock biomass, recruits). Different assessment models should be applied as appropriate, including retrospective analyses. 5. Propose and evaluate candidate limit and target reference points consistent with precautionary approach and MSY framework 6. Predict spawning stock biomass, stock biomass, recruits and catches at age and in weight in, 2015, 2016 and the beginning of 2017 under different management scenarios including: (a) status quo fishing mortality and; (b) fishing mortality that will allow achieving MSY levels at the shortest possible timeframe. Only for turbot and sprat, evaluate the implications of these scenarios on defining autonomous TAC for Up-date the description of fisheries exploiting these stocks, in terms of fleets, fishing gears, deployed fishing effort by fleet segment (capacity in N -GT-kW, activity in days at sea, gear characteristics), catches and catch composition, size composition, discards, fishing grounds and seasonality. 8. STECF is requested to summarize and concisely describe in detail all data quality deficiencies of relevance for the assessment of stocks and fisheries. Such review and description are to be based on the data format of the official DCF data calls for the Black Sea issued on April In particular, STECF is requested to identify data gaps and ways to overcome them with a view to obtain scientifically acceptable stock assessments for the species in Table I. In case, the proposed data poor stocks (Table II) cannot be finally assessed, STECF is requested to include those species in the evaluation. Regarding Rapa whelk the identification of specific data needs to perform a stock assessment should be part of the preparatory meeting and the results included in the final report of the EWG Page 3

4 9. Review the methodology used during previous EWG for estimating the level of IUU catches of turbot and make any appropriate comments and recommendations to improve the current method. The EWG shall deal with this ToR as part of the preparatory meeting, and the results included in the final report of EWG On the basis of the existing information, identify areas and periods with high occurrence of juveniles and/or spawners of turbot and piked dogfish. 11. Identify and justify other important fisheries and stocks that may be in need of specific management measures to ensure sustainable exploitation and analyse whether the scientific basis is adequate or needs to be further developed. Report all results to the STECF Plenary in November 2015 for further scrutiny and endorsement. *** Page 4

5 ANNEX I Table I List of stocks to be assessed by the STECF-EWG Species common name Species scientific name FAO CODE Priority Sprat Sprattus sprattus SPR High Turbot Psetta maxima TUR High Red mullet Mullus barbatus MUT High Anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus ANE Medium Mediterranean horse mackerel Trachurus mediterraneus HMM High Piked dogfish Squalus acanthias DGS High Whiting Merlangus merlangus WHG Medium Table II List of data poor stocks to be assessed by the STECF-EWG Species common name Species scientific name FAO CODE Thornback ray Raja clavata RJC In support of its advice, STECF shall provide for each stock, to the extent possible: a) A full methodological description of the assessment and advisory procedure updated whenever a significant change is made; b) Estimates of landings, fishing mortality, recruitment and spawning stock together with information or estimates of the uncertainty with which these parameters are estimated; 2 In case there are difficulties to perform the assessments of the stocks abovementioned, data poor methods shall be considered in order to provide a scientific advice. Recommendations to improve the stock assessments shall be detailed. Page 5