The Office for Fishery Resources and Aquaculture of the General Secretariat for the Sea, pertaining to the (Spanish) Ministry of the Environment and the Rural and Marine Environment, and in accordance with the agreement signed with AZTI-Tecnalia, has commissioned this technological centre to undertake three scientific surveys in 2011. First of all, they will carry out the scientific coordination of the various plans of the Autonomous Communities (the political territories within the Spanish state) for the recovery of the eel, in order to draw up a joint state-wide plan for this species. In another survey planned for this year, AZTI-Tecnalia will monitor the presence of black halibut in the Svalbard archipelago, located in the Glacial Artic Ocean. Finally, this autumn they will also undertake a new survey to measure the biomass of young anchovies in the Bay of Biscay (Juvena).

In the first of these surveys, the AZTI-Tecnalia specialists will fulfil an important role in creating a state-wide plan to enable the survival and growth of the European eel in Spanish rivers and on the coasts. The work of this technological centre will consist of coordinating the various Autonomous Communities' plans regarding this species, in order to achieve a coherent and unified scientific approach.

As regards the monitoring studies of the black halibut in the Svalbard archipelago, the technological centre will undertake the research required for calculating the biomass of black halibut on board commercial vessels. The results of the study will be passed to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO).

The agreement between the General Secretariat at the Department of the Marine and AZTI-Tecnalia also includes the research body carrying out a fresh survey this autumn to measure the biomass of young anchovies in the Bay of Biscay. The technological centre has been carrying out this ("Juvena") survey, with the support of the Basque Government, since 2003, being one of the fundamental indicators for the estimation of the total anchovy biomass.

According to the agreement reached, the Ministry of the Environment and the Rural and Marine Environment will provide AZTI-Tecnalia with a budget of 176,000 euros over the current year in order to carry out the above-mentioned activities.

Translation: Basque Research