The Working Group of the ICES/CIEM (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) met in Bilbao from 5 to 11 May, 2010 to evaluate the Stocks of Hake, Monkfish and John Dory on the South Platform.

This group draws up the scientific bases that will be used to make recommendations on the Total Allowable Catches (TACs) of the stocks (demersal species*) of importance to the Basque and Spanish fleet for the 2011 fishing season.

AZTI-Tecnalia's assistance and participation in the CIEM/ICES Working Groups, and specifically, the coordination of one of the meetings, enables it to contribute data and knowledge on the Basque fisheries, and thus participate directly in the evaluations on the situation of the stocks that make up these fisheries.

20 researchers of different nationalities participated in that meeting: the U.K., Ireland, France, Portugal and Spain and the Technical Secretary of the CIEM/ICES itself. AZTI-Tecnalia participates in the Working Group with five researchers (three of whom are full time) in the Demersal Fleet and Resources Management Area. The experience and knowledge of these scientists cover disciplines like biology, modelling of the population dynamics and analysis of management strategies.

The work in these groups is conducted in a coordinated way with researchers from the IEO (Spanish Oceanographic Institute) to complete and contrast the information to be submitted on the Basque and Spanish fisheries. Work is also done in a coordinated way with the Fishing Institutes of other European countries with fishing interests in the waters of the South Platform (Portugal, France, Belgium, Ireland and the U.K.).

Scientific Consultancy on a European level

The assistance and/or coordination of these kinds of Working Groups forms part of the work routinely carried out at AZTI-Tecnalia in connection with evaluating the species of interest for the Basque fleet. Right now, this centre occupies a prominent position on a European level in the field of scientific consultancy on fishery management.

The presence and active participation of AZTI-Tecnalia's members in this annual Working Group dates back over 15 years, and over the last 11 years researchers from this technology centre have been in charge of coordinating two stocks internationally (white monkfish and John Dory in the waters of the Celtic Sea and the Bay of Biscay). Likewise, they are actively collaborating in critical questions for management, like, for example, the analysis of mixed fisheries and the development of a current management framework by virtue of theJohannesburg Summit 2002 Agreement, by which all the European stocks must be exploited to the level specified by the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY).

This is the second time that this Working Group is held in Bilbao (previously it was held there in May 2006). The fact that this is the second time that Bilbao has been designated by the ICES/CIEM for the holding of the annual international Working Group puts AZTI-Tecnalia and the Basque Autonomous Community right at the centre of activities to manage fishing in Europe.

The results anticipated from the continued participation of AZTI-Tecnalia in these working groups are as follows:

• To contribute fairly to the international monitoring of the most important demersal species for the Basque Country (hake, monkfish and John Dory) and participate in evaluating them internationally in the Working Group on Hake, types of Monkfish and John Dory on the South Platform.
• To obtain first-hand information on the situation of the stocks of demersal species of maximum interest in order to advise the Basque Fisheries Sector and Administration.
• To build up scientific knowledge on these species, fleets and fishing grounds in order to specify the terms for exploiting them in a sustainable way by a fleet that is viable both socially and economically.

*Demersals: populations of species that live in or close to the sea beds, like John Dory, monkfish or hake.

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