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Indicator Specification
Commercial fish and shellfish provide most of the seafood derived from European waters and, if sustainably exploited, they could be a continuous source of healthy protein. However, the heavy exploitation of fish and shellfish can affect their reproductive capacity and thus their potential for recovery. In order to achieve sustainability, the levels of exploitation and reproductive capacity need to be analysed in an assessment of the status of marine fish and shellfish in Europe. The fact that only those stocks for which regular quantitative stock assessments are conducted can be included in such a status assessment means that it is important to show what proportion of commercial species is covered by quantitative stock assessments.
Therefore, this indicator consists of three parts:
The indicator tracks both the status of commercial fish stocks in European regional seas and the pressure exerted by fisheries on those stocks, as well as the quality of the information available. To that end, the following is reported:
Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks
The MSFD requires 'Good Environmental Status' to be achieved by 2020 (EC, 2008). According to the MSFD (Descriptor 3), three criteria are relevant to determining if a fish or shellfish stock has achieved GES:
This has resulted in four assessment categories:
Total landings
Landings are based on the ICES Official Nominal Catches data set and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 'GFCM (Mediterranean and Black Sea) capture production' annual statistics. The statistics comprise catch data reported by country, by species and by area or division.
Only some of the species/taxa in the landings data can be considered 'commercial fish', which, for assessment purposes, may consist of several stocks. Only some of these stocks are covered by quantitative stock assessments such that their status can be assessed based on the above criteria.
Stocks
In the North-East Atlantic area, stocks are generally defined based on biological criteria and knowledge of population migration, mixing and spawning areas. For example, cod is currently considered to form eight different stocks, i.e. Sub-areas I and II (Northeast Arctic), Division Va (Iceland grounds), Sub-division Vb1 (Faroe Plateau), Sub-area IV and Divisions VIId and IIIa West, Sub-divisions 22-24 (Western Baltic Sea), Division VIa (West of Scotland), Division VIIa (Irish Sea) and Divisions VIIe-k (Western English Channel), between which mixing is negligible. These eight stocks cover five MSFD (sub-)regions, i.e. the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Barents Sea and the Icelandic waters.
In the Mediterranean and Black Sea, on the other hand, stocks are mostly defined by management area because of a lack of biological knowledge. Because these stocks are based on a specific geographical area, most can be attributed to a specific MSFD (sub-)region.
The units used in this indicator are tonnes, as well as the number and proportion of catch in tonnes for assessed stocks/non-assessed stocks. The assessment information is expressed as the proportion of landings (tonnes) covered by assessed stocks. The status of the assessed stocks can be expressed as the proportion of the number of assessed fish and shellfish stocks or the proportion of landings of fish and shellfish stocks.
The scope of the CFP includes the conservation of marine biological resources and the management of fisheries that target them. To that end, the CFP should adapt exploitation rates to ensure that, within a reasonable time frame, the exploitation of marine biological resources allows the restoration and maintenance of populations of harvested stocks above levels that can produce the MSY. This should be achieved by 2015 or no later than 2020.
The aim of the MSFD is to achieve a GES of the EU's marine waters by 2020 and to protect this resource, upon which marine-related economic and social activities depend. The MSFD enshrines in a legislative framework the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities that have an impact on the marine environment, integrating the concepts of environmental protection and sustainable use.
In order to achieve its goal, the directive establishes European marine regions and sub-regions on the basis of geographical and environmental criteria. The MSFD significantly strengthens Member States’ competences and responsibilities to maintain or achieve GES for all exploited fish and shellfish stocks inside territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) with common goals. Three criteria in relation to GES have been identified for commercial fish and shellfish:
These requirements for GES, according to the MSFD, are aligned with the requirement for MSY for both the 'level of exploitation' and 'reproductive capacity' criteria. The 'healthy age and size distribution' criterion is not yet sufficiently developed.
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 being produced no later than 2020 (EC, 2008, Annex I).
All EU fish and shellfish stocks should be fished to produce a MSY no later than 2015 (EC, 2006). This implies that the targets are F ≤ FMSY and SSB ≥ SSBMSY. MSY Btrigger is used as a best proxy for SSBMSY.
North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea
For the North-East Atlantic Ocean (considering the sub-regions) and Baltic Sea, this CSI 032 indicator is calculated using the ICES stock database. The ICES stock database consists of 174 stocks, and provides information, by stock and by year, on a number of variables. The period for which this information is available varies depending on the stock.
Proportion of assessed stocks
Initially, the two criteria used to determine the status of commercial fish stocks are:
F and SSB, in combination with an MSY-based reference value, are the most appropriate metrics for these two criteria. The metrics used for F and SSB may differ between stocks. It is preferable for F to be expressed as fishing pressure and SSB as stock size. This may result in a different number of stocks being assessed for each metric.
Total catch in MSFD (sub-)regions
Stocks are assigned to an MSFD region based on the ICES sub-areas and divisions mentioned in the Stocks sub-section of the Indicator description. Note that the MSFD regions assigned to fish stocks are not conclusive and may change after further consultation. As catches are assigned to stock level rather than ecoregion level, catches may need to be redistributed over the different ecoregions. The ICES Official Nominal Catches data set is used to calculate proportions in order to redistribute stock catches over the different ecoregions. Catches are selected for species and areas as described in the stock description for stocks that cover more than one ecoregion. Selected catches are assigned to MSFD ecoregion. Thereafter, the proportion of a catch in each ecoregion, in relation to the total selected catch, is calculated. The total catch by ecoregion is used to calculate the proportion, to redistribute stock catches over ecoregions.
Total catch data are extracted from the ICES Official Nominal Catches data set and are assigned to the different MSFD regions based on area. The total catch for non-assessed stocks by ecoregion is calculated by subtracting total stock catches by ecoregion from the total catches by ecoregion.
GES
The status of commercial species per MSFD (sub-)region is assessed based on all stocks for which the required information on F and/or SSB is available. For each region, the proportion of stocks that fulfil one (only F or only SSB if both criteria are known), both (F and SSB) or either one (F or SSB if only a single criterion is known) of the MSFD criteria for GES is calculated. Thus, the four different categories are:
Mediterranean and Black Seas
Proportion of assessed stocks
For the Mediterranean and Black Seas, information on assessed stocks is extracted from STECF Mediterranean and Black Sea Working Group reports. As assessments are carried out in a multiannual cycle, different stocks are included in each yearly working group report. Generally, stocks cover one or several geographical sub-areas (GSAs).
Catch information
Catch information for the Mediterranean and Black Seas is extracted from the FAO regional workspace including on 'GFCM (Mediterranean and Black Sea) capture production'. Catch information is available by fishing area (FAO division). Total catch for the assessed stocks for the Mediterranean and Black Seas is calculated by selecting catches for the species for which STECF provides F/FMSY information, where the following assumptions are made:
The total catch for non-assessed stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Seas is calculated by subtracting the calculated total catch for assessed stocks from the total catches for these two regions.
GES
The status of the commercial species per MSFD (sub-)region is assessed based on all stocks for which the required information on F and FMSY is available. For each region, the proportion of stocks that fulfils the F criteria for GES is calculated.
Not applicable
MSFD (sub-)regions
The matching of catch areas and stocks to the MSFD regions/sub-regions is not final and may change following further consultations.
Catch and stock assessment data
Depending on the year selected, the suite of assessed stocks may change (notably in the Mediterranean and Black Seas because here they do not conduct annual stock assessments for all stocks simultaneously), and for the same stock indicator values may change.
Status of commercial species
The status of commercial species is expressed as the proportion of stocks that fulfils one or more of the GES criteria, as this is the most straightforward method since it does not require any additional information. However, the status can also be expressed as the proportion of catches or the proportion of biomass, depending on data availability. Each method is likely to give different results. The pros and cons of each method should be considered and a best method should be agreed upon.
Similarly, the status of European marine fish and shellfish over time is shown for both GES criteria considered as the annual mean ratio indicator/GES threshold, while, alternatively, the annual mean ratio deviation of the indicator from the GES threshold relative to that threshold can be calculated. This is also likely to give different values but is unlikely to give rise to different conclusions. The pros and cons of each method should be considered and a best method should be agreed upon.
For compliance with the status assessments in relation to the CFP, the same stocks for the Mediterranean Sea as those used by the STECF are adopted. This implies that, in contrast to the previous assessment, only stocks assessed by the GFCM (hence not the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)) are used for this assessment.
Work specified here requires to be completed within 1 year from now.
Work specified here will require more than 1 year (from now) to be completed.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/status-of-marine-fish-stocks-3 or scan the QR code.
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