1. Workshop on: Marine environment and fisheries – applying the new CFP and environment policy together
Carl O’Brien, Defra/Cefas

2. Parallel Session, Group 1: D3 assessment under MSFD
Carl O’Brien, Defra/Cefas

3. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

4. Item 1 - Purpose
The group will explore a common approach for the assessment of Descriptor 3 in the four MSFD marine regions.
The group will consider gaps and recommendations and draft an annotated Table of Contents for a Guidance document.
The group will make recommendations for the further preparation of the Guidance document.

5. Chair and facilitators at ICES’ WKD3R

6. Doc. 1
Doc. 2
Documents (2)

7. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

8. Items 2 & 3 – Roadmap for the assessment of Descriptor 3

9. Step 1 – Selection of stocks
Recommendations:

10. Step 2 – Cataloguing and documenting
Recommendations:

11. Step 3 – Assessing status
Recommendations:

12. Step 3 – Assessing status ... continued
Recommendations … continued:

13. Step 3 – Assessing status ... continued
Five (5) species groupings considered:
Demersal/benthic stocks
Pelagic (including tunas) stocks
Shellfish stocks
Elasmobranch stocks
Deep-water stocks
Diadromous species
Freshwater species

14. D3 assessment and DLS Important to: ICES’ concept of target categories
Build on existing/available data
Proxies will be developed/used as an interpretation of what relates to MSY
ICES’ concept of target categories
Recognises economic constraints on data
Continue development of policy-relevant approaches for DLS

15. BMSY and the potential for conflict
ICES has refrained from using any BMSY value as a reference point and focused on FMSY and a biomass safeguard for scientific quota advice (CFP):
Lower bound of biomass variability as a safety measure rather than a constant rebuilding target (MSFD)
This reflects that biomasses are variable, influenced by fishing mortality but not directly managed by fisheries measures, and that an equilibrium BMSY may not make sense as a specific target or limit for policy.
In the MSFD Descriptor 3 development, this has created a dilemma as BMSY is stated as an objective.

16. Step 4 – Overall status
WKD3R conducted an illustrative assessment by region

17. Step 4 – Overall status ... continued

18. Step 4 – Overall status ... continued

19. Step 4 – Overall status ... continued

20. Presentation of results
Easily understandable way:
Regional maps with circles
Tabular format
Pie charts

21. Future collaboration
Annual evaluation of the international commercial fish and shellfish stocks for which assessment and advice are provided by ICES, STECF, GFCM, ICCAT and the Black Sea Commission could be undertaken.
WKD3R demonstrated that this is feasible for the four marine regions of MSFD.
Further collaboration would be welcomed:
ICES could repeat the process started by WKD3R, if requested

22. Group 1 summary Agree /Disagree comments
Roadmap for assessment comprising four steps
???
Step 1 (selection of stocks) recommendations: #1 #2 #3 #4
Step 2 (cataloguing and documenting) recommendations:
ICES’ stock categories
Stocks in Category 6
Group 1 summary

23. Group 1 summary … continued
Agree /Disagree
comments
Step 3 (assessing status) recommendations #1
???
#2 (Mediterranean Sea)
#3 (Black Sea)
#4 (Mediterranean/Black Seas) #5
#6 (Criterion 3.3)
#7 (Indicator 3.3.2)
#8 (Indicator 3.3.4)
#9 (Indicators and 3.3.3)
Is Criterion 3.3 necessary?
Finfish
Shellfish
Group 1 summary … continued

24. Group 1 summary … continued
Agree /Disagree
comments
Step 4 (overall status)
Baltic Sea Region
???
Northeast Atlantic Region
Mediterranean Sea Region
Black Sea Region
Presentation of results
Easily understandable graphics
Future collaboration
ICES to be requested to repeat the process started by WKD3R
Group 1 summary … continued

25. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

27. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

28. Item 5 – Preparation and agreement of commercial stocks to assess
Step 1:
Recommendation 1
Recommendation 2
Recommendation 3
Step 2:
Recommendations (stocks assessed internationally and those under national jurisdiction)
Step 3: Recommendation(s)
Annual evaluation of the international commercial fish and shellfish stocks for which assessment and advice are provided by ICES, STECF, GFCM, ICCAT and the Black Sea Commission should be undertaken; i.e. repeat the process started by WKD3R.
Member States’ annual evaluation of stocks under national jurisdiction; c.f. WKD3R.

29. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

30. Item 6 – Criterion 3.3 (Population age and size distribution)
Within the current reform of the CFP, management is with respect to Criteria 3.1 and 3.2 and as such, Criterion 3.3 may not be essential in the short-term.
Criterion 3.3 relies on the concept of a healthy size/age structure of the stocks, and it is not essential to assess the exploitation status of resources in terms of pressure (F) and status (SSB).
Ability to track biological improvements in stock development (with a time delay) as MSY-based management is achieved.
Only two available indicators (3.3.1 and 3.3.3) should be monitored for trends while their utility is further investigated.

31. Group 1 - Draft agenda Welcome & introduction
Aim of the group’s work (next slide)
Presentation of ICES’ advice
Recommendations for the assessment of MSFD Descriptor 3
General discussion of the four steps
Presentation of GFCM work relevant to the MSFD (Miquel Bernal)
Preparation and agreement of commercial fin- and shellfish stocks to be assessed:
How to assess international stocks and those under national jurisdiction?
Descriptor 3, Criterion 3.3
Way forward, Guideline completion and other recommendations

32. Table of Contents for a Guidance Document
For each of the four marine regions of MSFD:
c.f. WKD3R
Introduction (approach, data availability, solutions to problems)
Choice of stocks and reasons for omission, any links to D1 and D4
DLS categorisation
Estimates of MSY reference points/proxies

33. Table of Contents ... continued
Results
Evaluation of GES (region/sub-region)
By species groupings as separate tables
Sort by DLS classification
Regional map with circles for DLS Category 1 (F, SSB)
Tabular format and/or pie chart for DLS Categories 2-6 (exploitation proxy, spawning stock biomass proxy)

34. Table of Contents ... continued
Summary Status by region/sub-region
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.2.1
3.2.2
3.3
unknown
total
Number of stocks
Number of stocks achieving green status
Percentage of stocks achieving green status

35. Table of Contents ... continued
Problems and gaps identified
Links to other descriptors, D3+, multi-species, food-webs etcetera
Recommendations
Section references

36. ???
Way forward

37. Way forward … continued
???
Way forward … continued