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In the French Overseas, small-scale fishing represents a major part of the sector, with a vital role for the economy, employment and food security of local populations. However scientific knowledge and monitoring remains patchy. Involved in several research projects on this issue, Ifremer organised an exchange workshop to share recent scientific advances with stakeholders in the sector and to discuss together the issues of sustainability of fishing in these territories. The event was held on 5 and 6 December 2022, at the headquarters of the Comité National des Pêches et des Elevages Marins (CNPMEM) in Paris. This meeting was organised within the framework of Ifremer's Overseas Action Plan (PAOM) 2021-2025, but also in the context of the FAO's "International Year of Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture" (IYAFA). More than 80 participants met on 5 and 6 December, a majority in presence, others participating remotely. The objective of the workshop was to share the progress and results obtained by the research, and to discuss the future challenges and future needs for collaboration in the French overseas territories. The proposed approach is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the sciences of sustainability of fisheries socio-ecosystems. In this sense, the aim is to better integrate the ecological, economic and social dimensions of the knowledge on the systems studied and to better consider the needs of stakeholders in order to co-construct future perspectives and projects. The workshop addressed socio-economic and governance issues as well as biological issues related to exploited resources and environmental dimensions. Various topics were discussed, including the major figures for fishing in the French Overseas Territories, economic trajectories in a context of major disturbances, socio-demographic profiles and working conditions, interactions with other fisheries, and the consideration of climate change and the state of essential habitats in the assessment of fisheries resources., Dans les Outre-mer français, la pêche artisanale représente une part majeure du secteur, avec un rôle capital pour l’économie, l’emploi et la sécurité alimentaire des populations locales. Mais les connaissances scientifiques restent encore parcellaires. Impliqué dans plusieurs projets de recherche sur cette question, l’Ifremer a organisé une atelier d’échanges pour partager avec les acteurs de la filière les avancées scientifiques obtenues et discuter ensemble des enjeux de durabilité de la pêche dans ces territoires. L’événement s’est tenu les 5 et 6 décembre 2022, au siège du Comité National des Pêches et des Elevages Marins (CNPMEM) à Paris. Cette rencontre a été organisée dans le cadre du Plan d'Action Outre-mer (PAOM) 2021-2025 de l’Ifremer, mais également dans le contexte de "l’Année internationale de la pêche artisanale et de l'aquaculture" de la FAO (en anglais IYAFA). Plus de 80 participants se sont ainsi réunis les 5 et 6 décembre, la majorité se retrouvant en présentiel, d'autres participant à distance. L'objectif de l'atelier a été de partager les avancées et résultats obtenus par la recherche, et de discuter des enjeux d'avenir et futurs besoins de collaborations dans les Outre-mer français. La démarche proposée s’inscrit dans le cadre des objectifs du développement durable (ODD) et des sciences de la durabilité des socio-écosystèmes halieutiques. En ce sens, il s’agit d’une part de mieux intégrer les dimensions écologiques, économiques et sociales des systèmes étudiés et d’autre part de mieux considérer les besoins des acteurs de manière à co-construire perspectives et projets futurs. L’atelier a abordé aussi bien les enjeux socio-économiques et de gouvernance, que les enjeux biologiques, ou ceux liés aux ressources exploitées et aux dimensions environnementales. Différentes thématiques ont été discutées autour des grands chiffres de la pêche dans les Outre-mer français, des trajectoires économiques dans un contexte de fortes perturbations, des profils socio-démographiques et des conditions de travail dans ce secteur, des interactions avec les autres pêcheries, ou encore de la prise en compte du changement climatique et de l'état des habitats essentiels dans l'évaluation des ressources halieutiques.

The JRC presented a brief review of the current STECF system in place to provide advice on Mediterranean fisheries management and data collection issues. JRC highlighted some structural risks and inefficiencies that currently exist. The review explored some examples of integrated actions that could reduce or mitigate such risks. Such actions as part of a long-term strategy would lead to a proactive advisory process as opposed to the current more reactive sequence of individual steps considered by STECF. STECF notes this initiative from the JRC and aims to revisit the topic in time for development of the next management plan stage, post 2025. On 21 February 2023, the Commission adopted the Fisheries and Ocean package consisting of four documents: the Communication on the functioning of the CFP, the Action Plan “Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries”, the Energy transition initiative and the report on the functioning of the Common Market Organisation (CMO). The package brings together all different aspects of the EU’s policy on fisheries and the Ocean, looking at the future, and at how we can ensure that fisheries continue to grow in resilience and sustainability. With this package, the European Commission plans on launching a policy discussion with all institutions and stakeholders the EU’s policy on fisheries and the Ocean European Commission Published Refereed

The majority of European fisheries catch multiple species during each fishing operation ("mixed fisheries"), some of which are targeted and marketable, while others are unwanted and often discarded at sea. These unwanted catches can have a significant ecological impact on the populations concerned, and political and scientific initiatives have long sought to find solutions to improve the selectivity of fisheries. However, the implementation and success of these initiatives have remained limited, and the problems persist. For more than 20 years, my research has focused on this issue of mixed fisheries, with a very multi-disciplinary approach and more than 55 published articles. I have analysed several aspects, including scientific and technical aspects (characterisation of fishery types, bioeconomic modelling, causes and quantities of by-catches, ecological impact, avoidance strategies, inclusion in fish stock assessment), political and regulatory aspects (roles and incentives of European regulations, remote control of fishing by cameras), and economic and socio-cultural aspects (fishermen's behaviour, positive incentives, result-based approaches), in a dual perspective of research and scientific expertise in support of European public policy. Through a synthesis of my work, this HDR manuscript will thus present an assessment of the past and present progress and barriers of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy in terms of the sustainability of mixed fisheries. In particular, it focuses on the landing obligation (discard ban) that has come into full effect in 2019, and the major paradigm shift it was meant to bring about in the European approach to fisheries management and control. Being now deputy scientific director of Ifremer and thus no longer in a position to directly develop and direct new research themes myself, my project rather focus on presenting avenues for future short and medium-term developments of the European fisheries policy, also taking into account the new threats linked to climate change and the rise of nationalistic approaches in the management of collective resources. It will also discuss the role of science in this perspective, and the related future fisheries research needs. The manuscript is written in English, with a summary in French. The numbers indicated (#) refer to the list of publications provided in Appendix 4., La majorité des pêcheries européennes capturent de multiples espèces à chaque opération de pêche (« pêcheries mixtes »), certaines étant ciblées et commercialisables, d’autres étant non désirées et souvent rejetées à la mer. Ces captures non désirées peuvent avoir un impact écologique important sur les populations concernées, et depuis longtemps des initiatives politiques et scientifiques s’attachent à trouver des solutions pour améliorer la sélectivité des pêcheries. Mais l’application et le succès de ces initiatives restent globalement mitigés, et les problèmes perdurent. Depuis plus de 20 ans mes recherches s’intéressent à cette problématique des pêcheries mixtes, avec une approche très multi-disciplinaire et plus de 55 articles publiés. J’ai analysé à la fois des aspects scientifiques et techniques (caractérisation des types de pêcheries, modélisation bioéconomique, causes et quantités de captures accessoires, impact écologique, stratégies d’évitement, prise en compte dans l’évaluation des stocks halieutiques), des aspects politiques et réglementaires (rôles et incitations des régulations européennes, contrôle à distance de la pêche par caméras), et des aspects économiques et socio-culturels (comportement des pêcheurs, incitations positives, approches basées sur le résultat), dans une perspective double de recherche et d’expertise scientifique en appui à la politique publique européenne. A travers une synthèse de mes travaux, mon HDR présentera ainsi un bilan des progrès et barrières passés et présents de la Politique Commune de la Pêche de l’Union Européenne en matière de durabilité des pêcheries mixtes. Plus particulièrement, on s’intéressera à l’obligation de débarquement (interdiction des rejets) entrée pleinement en vigueur en 2019, et au changement majeur de paradigme qu’elle devait induire dans la conception européenne de la gestion et du contrôle de la pêche. Etant maintenant directrice scientifique adjointe de l’Ifremer et n’étant ainsi plus actuellement en position de développer et diriger directement de nouvelles thématiques de recherche moi-même, mon projet s’attachera plutôt à présenter des pistes pour de futurs développements de la politique européenne de la pêche, prenant aussi en compte les nouvelles menaces liées au changement climatique et à la montée des approches nationalistes dans la gestion de ressources collectives. Il discutera aussi du rôle de la science dans cette perspective, et des futurs besoins de recherche halieutique qui y sont liés. Le manuscrit est écrit en anglais, avec une synthèse en français. Les numéros indiqués (#) renvoient à la liste de publications fournie en annexe 4.

Monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) are challenging in wild capture fisheries and insufficient MCS has resulted in unsustainable fishing practices, data limitations in stock assessment and management, lack of transparency and unfair competitive advantage for those not following the rules. Major expenses and efforts are awarded to MCS, but effectiveness and coverage is generally very limited. There are however a number of emerging and already available technological solutions that can be applied to significantly improve MCS and reduce costs at the same time. These solutions are generally referred to as Electronic Monitoring (EM) or Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) solutions. The Nordic countries are generally considered to have well-regulated fisheries and relatively good MCS. The authorities in these countries do however also understand that they need to keep up with new technology and use them when applicable to improve their fisheries. Denmark, Norway and Iceland have for example been awarding increasing attention to REM in recent years. As part of that work, the Nordic Council’s Working Group for Fisheries (AG-Fisk) funded a networking project in 2019 that was to facilitate a conference on REM, where experts in the field would present information on current state and emerging solutions for Fully Documented Fisheries (FDF). The conference was held in November 2019 in Reykjavík and the proceedings along with short summary are presented in this report. The report also contains concluding remarks in the end where the most important issues are summarised, and comments made on developments that have taken place from the time of the conference until the publication of this report. It is evident that EM will not solve all problems when it comes to MCS of fisheries, but such solutions can be important tools to facilitate more efficient MCS and even reduce cost and/or increase coverage. The Nordic countries have not been in the forefront of implementing REM technologies (possibly with the exception of Denmark) where countries such as Canada, US, New Zealand, Australia and Chile have paved the way. The Nordic countries are therefore in the position to learn from those that have gone before them, use what has proven to be successful and avoid making the mistakes they did. Several relevant pilot trials and research projects are currently ongoing in the Nordic countries and on European level. There are also ongoing similar initiatives elsewhere in the world and full implementation of some elements of REM are also taking place. It is important for the Nordic regions to follow and take part in these initiatives, as the authors of this report believe that REM solutions can be extremely effective tools for MCS in the future., Funding: Nordic Council of Ministers – Working Group for Fisheries (AG-fisk) project 186-2019

Electronic Monitoring (EM) with video is a tool often mentioned to ensure compliance with fishing regulations while vessels are at sea. Since 2008, several trials have been conducted in the European Union on the use of EM. One of the largest and longest running European trials was the 2010–2016 Cod Catch Quota Management trial (CCQM) in Denmark. This paper reviews the methods and experiences gained from this trial, with focus on the last two years where criteria for video audits were expanded and major technical developments took place. The cost-effectiveness and potential of EM for compliance, management and scientific purposes is discussed. The present study demonstrates that EM is capable of high precision detection of non-compliance with a discard ban and that developments in the transmission of EM data allowed for a smoother and more reliable Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) system. Although further developments are needed, especially within the field of automated image analysis, we conclude that EM is one of the few feasible tools where fisheries information and compliance can be ensured under a Landing Obligation.

Le rapport présente une synthèse de l’atelier PARTAGE qui s’est déroulé du 3 au 5 novembre 2020. L'atelier était dédié au partage de retours d’expériences de collaborations entre science et société à l’Ifremer. Il a réuni (visio) une cinquantaine de participants de l’Ifremer (et UMR associées- AMURE) ainsi que des collègues d’autres Instituts (INRAE, CNRS, CIRAD, LISODE, IRD) invités pour apporter leur vision et cadres d’analyse ou de pensée. L'atelier a souligné l'importance et la diversité des interactions science-société à l'Ifremer et en particulier des travaux de recherche collaborative conduits avec les acteurs des filières et territoires. Il a souligné l'intérêt de ce champ de recherche émergent et mis en évidence : - L’importance et la nécessité de clarifier les postures individuelles et la posture institutionnelle, d’inclure et d’accompagner dans le parcours des chercheurs cette prise de recul, cette approche réflexive sur les pratiques, de poursuivre l’animation des partages d’expériences; - L’importance de décrire et suivre ces collaborations/interactions et leurs impacts; - La nécessité de mobiliser et développer des cadres d’analyse et des cadres pour penser ces interactions science-société, pour mieux les construire et les valoriser et mieux les communiquer en interne comme vers l’extérieur; - La nécessité de se doter de capacités (en SHS + formations, sous-traitants pour organiser les échanges), d’accompagner et former les chercheurs à conduire ces recherches collaboratives en lien avec des communautés de pratiques existantes (type ComMod), et de favoriser la reconnaissance de ces interactions et du temps investi.

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries held its 64th plenary as a virtual meeting from 6 to 10 July 2020.

International audience

The Fast-Track project set out to develop and implement a framework pertaining to the development of new and modified fishing gears which was more inclusive of all stakeholders, namely the fishing industry (fishermen, net makers and fisheries representatives), scientists and managers. The objective was to take each stakeholder group’s specific competences and use these to more efficiently develop technical solutions which could alleviate some of the issuesarising under the Landing Obligation. During the project, a framework was developed to facilitate greater involvement of the industry and implemented throughout the Danish fisheries. In total, 13 vessels were involved in the project where a total of 19 gears were developed and tested. All gears developed pertained to the demersal trawl fisheries, namely the Baltic Sea cod trawl fishery, Pandalus trawl fishery, Nephrops trawl fishery, and the Brown shrimp beam trawl fishery. The gears tested either aimed at reducing catches of unwanted species and/or sizes. Of the 19 gears developed, 4 were taken through to scientific testing, and 2 of these presented to managers for possible implementation in regulations.This report provides and overview of the work undertaken during the project and presents the results from the individual trials in the form of fact sheets. Furthermore, the report highlights some of the challenges which arose during the project and how these can be addressed in the future.

The main terms of reference for the The ICES Working Group for the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak (WGNSSK) were: to update, quality check and report relevant data for the working group, to update and audit the assessment and forecasts of the stocks, to produce a first draft of the advice on the fish stocks and to prepare planning for benchmarks in future years.. Ecosystem changes have been analytically considered in the assessments for cod, haddock and whiting in the form of varying natural mortalities estimated by the ICES Working Group on Multi Species Assessment Methods (WGSAM). Benchmarks and Inter-benchmarks in 2018/2019No full benchmarks were conducted during 2019 for WGNSSK stocks. However, there were several inter-benchmark protocol (IBP) meetings during 2018/2019. These were on North Sea turbot and saithe, and on sole in 7.d. State of the StocksThe main impression in recent years is that fishing mortality has been reduced substantially for many North Sea stocks of roundfish and flatfish compared to the beginning of the century. All fish stocks with agreed reference points (Category 1 stocks) are above Blim, apart from cod in 4, 7.d and 20, and only the SSBs of cod in 4, 7.d and 20 and whiting in 4 and 7.d are below MSY Btrigger at the beginning of 2019. Several North Sea stocks are exploited at or below FMSY levels (saithe in 3.a, 4 and 6, plaice in 4 and 20, plaice in 7.d, sole in 7.d, and turbot in 4); however, just as many are being fished above FMSY (cod in 4, 7.d and 20, haddock in 4, 6.a and 20, whiting in 4 and 7.d, sole in 4, and witch in 3.a, 4 and 7.d). An important feature is that recruitment still remains poor compared to historic average levels for most gadoids, although there are signs of a strong recruitment for haddock in 2019 (the strongest since the 1999 year-class; to be confirmed with future data).All Nephrops stocks with agreed biomass reference points (Category 1 stocks, excluding nep.fu.3-4) are currently above MSY Btrigger, and all Nephrops stocks with defined FMSY (Category 1 stocks, including nep.fu.3-4) are being fished at or below FMSY in 2018, apart from Nephrops in FU 6 (nep.fu.6).WGNSSK is also responsible for the assessment of several data-limited species (Category 3+stocks) that are mainly by catch in demersal fisheries (brill in 3.a, 4 and 7.d-e, lemon sole in 3.a, 4 and 7.d, dab in 3.a and 4, flounder in 3.a and 4, turbot in 3.a, whiting in 3a), along with striped red mullet in 3.a, 4 and 7.d. Biennial precautionary approach (PA) advice was provided in 2015 for the first time, and again in 2017; for 2019, biennial advice was either PA, where catch advice was still needed, or simply reporting stock status where no catch advice was needed. Reopening of advice was triggered for several Category 1 stocks in the autumn, following the availability of Q3 survey results in 2019, namely cod in 4, 7.d and 20, haddock in 4, 6.a and 20, plaice in 4 and 20, sole in 4, and Nephrops in FU 6, 7 and 8 (Annex 7).The summary of stock status is as follows: 1) Nephrops:Category 1:a) FU 3-4 (nep.fu.3-4): The stock size is considered to be stable. The estimated harvest rate for this stock is currently below FMSY. No reference points for stock size have beendefined for this stock.b) FU 6 (nep.fu.6): The stock abundance has increased since 2015, and currently it is above MSY Btrigger. The harvest rate has shown a decreasing trend since 2013, and isjust above FMSY in 2018.c) FU 7 (nep.fu.7): The stock size has been above MSY Btrigger for most of the time-series. The harvest rate has declined since 2010 and remains well below FMSY.d) FU 8 (nep.fu.8): The stock size has been above MSY Btrigger for the entire time-series. The harvest rate is varying and is now below FMSY.e) FU 9 (nep.fu.9): The stock has been above MSY Btrigger for the entire time-series. The harvest rate has fluctuated around FMSY in recent years and is now just below FMSY.Category 4:f) FU 33 (nep.fu.33): The state of this stock is unknown. Landings have been relatively stable since 2004, fluctuating without trend at around 1000 tonnes. The mean densityof Norway lobster decreased by 43% from 2017 to 2018. Advice was provided for this stock in 2019 (although it was not scheduled) because of the availability of data froma UWTV survey conducted in 2018.No new advice was provided in 2019 for Nephrops outside the functional units (nep.27.4outFU; Category 5), and for the remaining Category 4 Nephrops stocks (nep.fu.5,nep.fu.10, nep.fu.32, nep.fu.34). A workshop on Methodologies for Nephrops Reference Points (WKNephrops) is being held 25–29 November 2019 to evaluate reference point estimation for stocks with UWTVsurveys. This workshop will also consider a consistent methodology to determine stock status and provide catch advice for data-limited Nephrops stocks, taking into accountavailable data and knowledge from other areas.2) Cod (cod.27.47d20): Fishing mortality has increased since 2016, and is above Flim in 2018. Spawning-stock biomass has decreased since 2015 and is now below Blim. Recruitment since 1998 remains poor. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is above FMSY, Fpa, and Flim; the spawning-stock size is below MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.3) Haddock (had.27.46a20): Fishing mortality has declined since the beginning of the 2000s, but it has been above FMSY for the entire time-series. Spawning-stock biomass has been above MSY Btrigger in most of the years since 2002. Recruitment since 2000 has been low with occasional larger year classes. The 2019 year-class is estimated to be the largest since 2000. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is above FMSY but below Fpa and Flim, and spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.4) Whiting (whg.27.47d): Spawning-stock biomass has fluctuated around MSY Btrigger since the mid-1980s and is just below it in 2019. Fishing mortality has been above FMSY throughout the time-series, apart from 2005. Recruitment (R) has been fluctuating without trend, but the last two year-classes are below average. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is above FMSY, but below Fpa and Flim; spawning-stock size is below MSY Btrigger and Bpa, but above Blim.5) Saithe (pok.27.3a46): Spawning-stock biomass has fluctuated without trend and has been above MSY Btrigger since 1996. Fishing mortality has decreased and stabilized at or below FMSY since 2014. Recruitment has shown an overall decreasing trend over time with lowest levels in the past 10 years. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is at FMSY and below Fpa and Flim; spawning-stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa and Blim.6) Plaice (ple.27.420): The spawning-stock biomass is well above MSY Btrigger and has markedly increased since 2008, following a substantial reduction in fishing mortality since 1999. Recruitment in 2019 is estimated to be the second highest in the time-series. Since 2009, fishing mortality has been estimated below FMSY. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY, Fpa, and Flim, and that spawning-stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.7) Sole (sol.27.4): The spawning-stock biomass has increased since 2007, and has been estimated above MSY Btrigger since 2012. Fishing mortality has declined since 1999 and is close to FMSY in 2018. Recruitment in 2019 is estimated to be the highest since 1988. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is above FMSY but below Fpa and Flim, and spawning-stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.8) Plaice (ple.27.7d): The spawning-stock biomass has increased rapidly from 2010 following a period of high recruitment between 2009 and 2015, and is now still well above the MSY Btrigger, despite a decline since 2016. Fishing mortality has declined since the early 2000s, with an increase in the recent years to slightly below FMSY. Recruitment is currently around the average of the last 10 years of the time series. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY, Fpa, and Flim, and spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.9) Sole (sol.27.7d): The spawning-stock biomass (SSB) has been fluctuating without trend and has been above MSY Btrigger since 2017. Fishing mortality has been decreasing trend since 2009 and has been below FMSY since 2017. Recruitment has been fluctuating without trend. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY proxy, Fpa, and Flim; spawningstock size is above MSY Btrigger proxy and above Bpa and Blim. This stock underwent an interbenchmark during 2019 to incorporate revised tuning indices and re-estimate reference points, but was subsequently down-graded to a Category 3 assessment due to unreliable plus-group data and plus-group estimation that led to a large increase in advice. The assessment is currently indicative of trends only. A full benchmark is planned for early 2020.10) Turbot (tur.27.4): Recruitment is variable without a trend. Fishing mortality has decreased since the mid-1990s, and has been just below FMSY since 2012. The spawning-stock biomass has increased since 2005 and has been above MSY Btrigger since 2013. This stock was upgraded to Category 1 from Category 3 following an inter-benchmark during 2018. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY, Fpa, and Flim; spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.11) Witch (wit.27.3a47d): Fishing mortality has been above FMSY since the beginning of the time-series. Spawning-stock biomass that was below Blim around 2010, has increased since then and is now above MSY Btrigger. Recruitment has declined since 2010 and is currently at a low level. This stock was upgraded to Category 1 from Category 3 following a benchmark during 2018. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is above FMSY and between Fpaand Flim, and spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger, Bpa, and Blim.12) Norway pout (nop.27.3a4): The stock size is highly variable from year to year, due to recruitment variability and a short life span. Spawning-stock biomass is estimated to have been fluctuating above Bpa for most of the time-series. Fishing mortality declined between 1985 and 1995 and has been fluctuating at a lower level since 1995. Recruitment in 2018 and 2019 was above the long-term average. Currently, spawning stock size is above Bpa and Blim; no reference points for fishing pressure or for MSY Btrigger have been defined for this stock.13) Category 3–6 finfish stocks: In 2019, new advice has been produced for bll.27.3a47de, dab.27.3a4, fle.27.3a4, lem.27.3a47d, mur.27.3a47d, tur.27.3a (all Category 3 stocks) and whg.27.3a (Category 5). Although not requested, advice was provided for dab.27.3a4 to deal with an advice gap left by the Commission changing the advice cycle for dab from 2 to 3 years. Advice was not provided for gug.27.3a47d (Category 3) and pol.27.3a4 (Category 5).a) Brill (bll.27.3a47de): The biomass index has been gradually increasing over the timeseries until 2015, and has then decreased. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY proxy and spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger proxy.b) Dab (dab.27.3a4): The biomass has been increasing since the start of the time-series, but has declined since its peak in 2016. Total mortality is fluctuating without trend.Recruitment showed an increasing trend until 2014, but has declined since then. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY proxy, and the spawning stock size is above MSY Btrigger proxy.c) Flounder (fle.27.3a4): The available survey information indicates no clear trend in stock biomass. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY; no reference points for stock size have been defined for this stock.d) Lemon sole (lem.27.3a47d): Total mortality has fluctuated without trend. Spawningstock biomass increased from 2007 to 2012, and has remained stable since, albeit with a small decline in 2018. Recruitment has shown a mostly downwards trend since a peak in 2011. Currently, fishing pressure on the stock is below FMSY. No reference points for stock size have been defined for this stock.e) Striped red mullet (mur.27.3a47d): Spawning-stock biomass has decreased since 2015 as a consequence of poor recruitment and an increase in F. Recruitment in 2018 isestimated to be large. ICES cannot assess the stock and exploitation status relative to MSY and precautionary approach reference points because the reference points are undefined.f) Turbot (tur.27.3a): The IBTS Q1 biomass index is variable and has been fluctuating without trend over time. The IBTS Q3 biomass index is also variable but has shownan increased level after 2005. ICES cannot assess the stock and exploitation status relative to MSY and precautionary approach reference points because the reference points are undefined.g) Whiting (whg.27.3a): Catches have been relatively low in recent years after a substantial industrial fishery ceased in the mid-1990s. ICES cannot assess the stock and exploitation status relative to MSY and precautionary approach reference points because the reference points are undefined.

This study examines the latest developments of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the fields of fisheries management, Common Market Organisation (CMO) and its external dimension. It also discusses the potential challenges that the EU fisheries policy might be facing in the near future. The present research contains ten case studies and concludes with possible solutions and recommendations to address some of the sector’s forthcoming challenges.

The main objective of WGBFAS was to assess the status and produce a draft advice of the following stocks: • Sole in Division 3.a, SDs 20–24 • Cod in Kattegat, Cod in SDs 22–24, Cod in SDs 24–32 • Herring in SDs 25–27, 28.2, 29 and 32 • Herring in SD 28.1 (Gulf of Riga) • Herring in SDs 30-31 (Gulf of Bothnia) • Sprat in SDs 22–32 • Plaice in SDs 21–23, Plaice in SDs 24–32 • Flounder in SDs 22–23 (no catch advice) • Flounder in SDs 24–25 (no catch advice) The WG was not requested to assess the following stocks in 2019, as no advice was needed: • Flounder in SDs 26+28 • Flounder in SDs 27+29–32 • Brill in SDs 22–32 • Dab in SDs 22–32 • Turbot in SDs 22–32 It was, however, decided by the group to compile and update the input data for 2018 and thereby also conduct update assessments for these latest five stocks. In the introductory chapter of this report the WG, in agreement with the ToRs, considers and comments on the ecosystem and fisheries overviews, reviews the progress on benchmark processes, identifies the data needed for next year’s data call with some suggestions for improvements in the data call, and summarizes general and stock-specific research needs. The introduction further summarizes the work of other WGs relevant to the WGBFAS, and the assessment methods used. Finally, the introduction presents a brief overview of each stock and quite extensively discusses the ecosystem considerations of the Baltic Sea and ecosystem changes that have been analytically considered in the stock assessments. The results of the analytical stock assessment or survey trends for the species listed above are presented for all the stocks with the same species in the same sections. The analytical models used for the stock assessments were XSA, SAM and SS3. For most flatfish (data limited stocks), CPUE trends from bottom-trawl surveys were used in the assessment (except plaice in SDs 24–25 for which relative SSB from SAM was used). For cod in SDs 24–32, a full analytical assessment (using SS3) could be performed, after the compilation/benchmark work undertaken in 2018–2019. The report ends with references, annexes with the response to a special request, links to Stock Annexes, and list of Working Documents.

Implementation of Ecosystem Based Management in fisheries has led to higher integration of knowledge in advices and higher engagement of stakeholders in the decision support Process. As part of the process, fisheries scientists contribute in different ways and at different levels to decision support and experienced partnership approaches in the context of research projects or institutional decision support. Role of scientists in the process is however not trivial to define and operationalize. Several pitfalls can occur that scientists may have experienced through partnership projects or in the expert assessments done for authorities. A workshop was organized from 15 to 17 January 2018 as part of the ScipaDe project of the Cluster of Excellence ('Labex') funded by the French 'Investment for the future' program and supported by the French Ministry of Research and Education. It brought together biologists, economists and social and political scientists involved in decision support processes and partnership approaches in fisheries at European level to share experiences and views across case studies, disciplines and projects. Context, content and lessons learnt from concrete experiences of bio-economic impact assessment of fisheries management scenarios provided in different case studies were reviewed and the links between scientists-stakeholders-decision makers in the decision support process in fisheries was explored through discussions and SWOT analyses. An Australian case was also reported to put into perspective the approaches and lessons learnt described at the European scale with respect to the institutionalized partnership platform for decision making used in Australian. This report provides information on the SciPaDe project, the participants to the workshop, the content of the workshop and the main perspectives and tasks identified. The workshop underlined the need to continue and better structure networks around interdisciplinary approaches, to share our vision of the role of scientists in decision support process, our experiences, methods and recommendations and to disseminate lessons learnt from analysis of practices in integrated science decision support in fisheries.