1. Marine Strategy Framework Directive Descriptor 3+
Leonie Dransfeld
Marine Institute, Ireland
For International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)

2. Background:
Results of process undertaken by ICES to provide scientific information to support EU Member States in the implementation of the MSFD
Focus on descriptor 3 (D3), commercially exploited fish and shellfish
Identification of fisheries-related information relevant for the other descriptors esp. D1, D4 and D6
Work carried out by core group, supported by two workshops (July and October 2011) with MS experts, EC, Regional Seas Conventions, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and other stakeholders.

3. F Ref level: FMSY SSB Ref level: SSBMSY
Descriptor 3: Populations of all commercially exploited fish and shellfish are within safe biological limits,
exhibiting a population age and size distribution that is indicative of a healthy stock.
Criterion
3. 1 Fishing pressure
3. 2 Reproductive
capacity
3. 3 Population age and
Size distribution
Primary indicator F
Ref level: FMSY
SSB
Ref level: SSBMSY
Prop of fish > size at
sexual maturity
Mean size of fish
community
95% percentile
of length distribution
Secondary indicator
Catch/Biomass
ratio
Biomass from
surveys
Size at
first maturation

4. 5 steps in the GES assessment process:
Selection of commercially exploited
(shell)fish populations
Stocks for which primary indicators and
reference levels are available
Species for which no
reference levels are available
Interpretation of GES
Assessment of current status in
relation to GES

5. Approach taken: Theoretical concepts, criteria, methodologies for:
Selection of commercial species
Stocks with analytical assessments
Species/stocks with information from monitoring programmes
Case Studies:
Bay of Biscay/Iberia
Baltic Sea
North Sea
Celtic Seas
Mediterranean
Synthesis:
Different interpretations of GES
Assessment of current status against GES

6. Selection of commercially exploited species:
Identification of
the appropriate area
Match of existing spatial
units to that area
Mediterranean Sea:

7. Selection of commercially exploited species: North Sea
Choice of data source
DCF vs FAO Fish stat database
Choice of time period
Selection criteria
North Sea
Celtic Seas

8. criterion 3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock
Species/stocks covered by stock assessments:
What should be considered an “assessed” stock?
Primary indicators for criterion 3.1 Level of pressure of the fishing activity and
criterion 3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock
Availability of reference levels- Precautionary Approach (PA)
Flim, Fpa, Blim, Bpa
Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)
FMSY, BMSY, BMSY trigger
F≤ FMSY
SSB ≥ BMSY trigger
Commission Decision
GES

9. Assessment of GES at the stock level
Example:
Baltic Sea

10. Assessment of GES at the stock level
Example:
Mediterranean

11. Species/stocks covered by monitoring programmes:
Secondary indicators for criterion 3.1 Level of pressure of the fishing activity and
criterion 3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock
Indicators for population structure 3.3 Mean size of fish community
Prop of fish > size at sexual maturity
95% of length distribution
Size at first maturation
No reference values available to determine GES at stock level
Comparison of current levels to historical levels
Trend detection methods
GES

12. Species/stocks covered by monitoring programmes
Classification of the 32 species according to
the comparison between the long-term and
short-term means.
Example:
North Sea
Above
Below
Inside 17 10
Outside 3 2

13. The assessment of current status against GES:
Three levels in the GES assessment process:
current status in relation to GES per stock or species based on a specific criterion and indicator
current status in relation to GES per indicator or criterion (thus aggregating across stocks)
current status in relation to GES for Descriptor (thus aggregating across stocks and criteria)
Stock/species
Criterion
Overall

14. The assessment of GES: Three possible interpretation of GES:
MSY reference points are limits as specified in the COM DES
2. MSY reference points are targets,
pa reference points are limits
3. MSY targets as average across stocks
Criterion 3.1: all stocks F ≤ FMSY
Criterion 3.2: SSB ≥ SSBMSY
Criterion 3.1: 50 % Stocks F ≤ FMSY
100 % Stocks F≤Fpa
Criterion 3.2: 100 %SSB ≥ SSBMSY trigger
Criterion 3.1: Stocks F ≤ FMSY on average
Criterion 3.2: SSB ≥ SSBMSY on average

15. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES
Criterion 3.1 and 3.2 with reference levels
Approach
Criterion
Stocklevel
GES
int
Current Status
Green
Orange
Red
Binary
3.1
F≤FMSY
FMSY<F≤Fpa
F>Fpa 1
Y if 100% of stocks in Green 2
Y if at least 50% of stocks in Green none in Red
3.2
SSB≥BMSY-trigger
SSB<BMSY- trigger 3
Y if at least 50% of stocks in Green and Red stocks are compensated by equivalent additional stocks in Green
Contin.
m ≤ 1.0
1.0 <m≤ 1.6
m> 1.6
Proportion of stocks in Green
(= 1 if 100% of stocks in Green)
max[ 0 , 1-proportion of stocks in Red-max{0, 0.5- proportion of stocks in Green} ]
m ≥ 1.0
0.6 ≤ m< 1.0
m< 0.6
Criterion 3.1: min[ max{[1.6-(average m across all stocks)]/0.6, 0 } , 1]
(= 1 if average m across all stocks is ≤ 1)
Criterion 3.2: min[ max{[(average m across all stocks)-0.6]/0.4, 0 }, 1 ]
(= 1 if average m across all stocks is ≥ 1)

16. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES
Criterion 3.1 and 3.2
Binary
Example:
North Sea
GES per stock
GES across stocks per criteria
and per interpretation
GES across two criteria
per interpretation F*
SSB** F
SSB
Year
Green
Orange
Red 1 2 3
2006 4 N
2007
2008 Y
2009 5
2010 6

17. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES
Criterion 3.1 , 3.2 and 3.3 without reference levels
Approach
Criterio n
Stocklevel
GES
int
Current Status
Green
Orange
Red
Category c
3.1
Any at or “Below” category
Category “Above and Inside”
Category “Above and Outside” 1
Y if 100% of stocks in Green 2
Y if at least 50% of stocks in Green none in Red
3.2
Any at or “Above” category
Category “Below and Inside”
Category “Below and Outside” 3
Y if at least 50% of stocks in Green and Red stocks are compensated by equivalent additional stocks in Green
3.3
Category d
m ≤ 0.0
0.0 <m≤ 1.6
m> 1.6
Proportion of stocks in Green
(= 1 if 100% of stocks in Green)
max[ 0 , 1-proportion of stocks in Red-max{0, 0.5- proportion of stocks in Green} ]
m ≥ 0.0
-1.6 ≤ m< 0.0
m< -1.6
Criterion 3.1: min[ max{[1.6-(average m across all stocks)]/0.6, 0 } , 1]
Criterion 3.2: min[ max{[(average m across all stocks)-0.6]/0.4, 0 }, 1 ]
Category t
significantly decreasing or no trend
increasing trend
significantly increasing or no trend
decreasing trend
Y if at least 50% of stocks in Green and Red stocks are compensated by equivalent additional stocks in Green

18. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES
Criterion 3.2
Continuum
Example:
Bay of Biscay/Iberia
CRITERION 3.2 Reproductive capacity of the stock
SSB
(2011) / SSBMSY
SSBmean(
) / SSBMSY
[ SSB(2011) - SSBmean( ) ] / SSBstdev ( )
[ SSBmean( ) - SSBmean( ) ] / SSBstdev( )
Proportion of stocks in green
0.60
0.38
0.44
Current status in relation to GES Interpretation 1
Proportion of stocks in red
0.20
0.13
0.06
Current status in relation to GES Interpretation 2
0.80
0.75
0.88
Mean value across stocks
1.27
1.09
-0.10

19. Overall assessment of current status in relation to GES
No aggregation- results presented by criteria
Application of one out-all out aggregation rule, ie. assessment by worst case
Application of different weights for the different criteria

20. Fishery related indicators Applying DCF indicators in MSFD assessments
Criteria
Fixed calculation method
Reference level 1
Conservation status of fish species
1.2.1
Modifications proposed
Proposed 2
Proportion of large fish
1.7.1, 4.2.1
Regionally specified
Proposed in regions 3
Mean maximum length of fish
1.7.1 No 4
Size at maturation of exploited fish species
3.3.4
Modifications proposed (see section 8.1.4) 5
Distribution of fishing activities 6
Aggregation of fishing activities 7
Areas not impacted by mobile bottom gears
1.6, 6.1.2
Options proposed 8
Discarding rates of commercially exploited species 9
Discarding rates in relation to landed value 10
Fuel efficiency of fish capture