ICES Scientific Reports. WORKING GROUP ON MIXED FISHERIES ADVICE METHODOLOGY

Abstract

The ICES Working Group on Mixed Fisheries Methodology (WGMIXFISH-METHODS) annual meeting centred on the improvement of the mixed fisheries advice production process, through increasing quality, transparency and reproducibility. Two ecoregions (Celtic Sea and North Sea) have begun the move to the Transparent Assessment Framework (TAF). Gaps in documentation were identified and are now listed for improvement over the coming year. Data call changes have been proposed to ensure WGMIXFISH have the tools required to meet the growing demand for information on biological and technical interactions. Additionally, working group identified, discussed and tested new techniques in the field of mixed fisheries assessment (VAST, spatial targeting index). The number of areas assessed by the working group increased with the addition of an Irish Sea (27.7.a) FCube model. Collaboration continued with other groups, which was driven by the groups growing need for quality economic information (WGECON), and tools for visualization and exploration of mixed fisheries trends (WKTarget, Infomatics). Finally, major concerns have been raised about the suitability and completeness of extracts from the Regional Database (RDB). These finding will be shared with the Regional Database and Estimation System (RDBES) development group