EU Council Regulation 1543/2000
Establishing a Community Framework for the Collection
and Management of Data Needed to Conduct the CFP
First Regional Co-Ordination Meeting (RCM)
for the Mediterranean Area
Spanish Institute of Oceanography, Madrid, Spain
7th to 8th September 2004
DRAFT 2
Content
Content 2
1 Introduction 3
Background 3
The Data Collection Regulation 3
2 Area and Countries 3
Fisheries and Countries. 4
3 Meeting Objectives 4
Data 5
4 Surveys in the Mediterranean Sea 5
5 Other Biological Parameters 6
Recommendations 6
5 Economic Data 6
6 Fleet Based Sampling 8
7 Small Scale Projects 8
8. Concluding Comments 8
Other Issues 9
9. Summary Table of Recommendations 9
Appendix 1 Meeting Agenda 10
Appendices
Appendix 1 Meeting Agenda
Appendix 2 Participants
Appendix 3 Template for Landings by country
Appendix 4 Tables of Maturity 2002-2004 and 2005
1 Introduction
Background
The issue of Regional Co-ordination of the Data Collection Regulation was discussed at the meeting of the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Brussels 20/10/2003). The need to co-ordinate the DCR on a more regional basis was agreed as the problems and issues in the Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic, Overseas and Mediterranean are very different. There was general agreement that regional co-ordination would greatly increase the efficiency, effectiveness and integration of the various DCR National Programmes.
The Mediterranean area was suggested as a possible co-ordination region and the Commission agreed to fund participation at such a meeting in the 2004 National Programmes. In the past, this type of data collection co-ordination worked well in the frame of EU Study Contract mechanism (e.g. FarWest, Meda 2001).
In Rome 3-4 November 2003 Italy hosted a previous coordination meeting for the Mediterranean. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography hosted this first Regional Co-ordination Meeting (RCM) in Madrid from 7th to 8th September 2004. The agenda for the meeting is given in Appendix 1 and the list of participant’s is given in Appendix 2.
The Data Collection Regulation
The Data Collection Regulation is very broad and contains many subjects and issues in need of attention at such a co-ordination meeting. The RCM felt that at a first co-ordination we should prioritize a selected number of issues.
The following topics were discussed at the meeting:
· Surveys in the Mediterranean
· Biological sampling: length and age
· Other Biological Parameters
· Economic Data
· Fleet Based Sampling
· Small Scale Projects
2 Area and Countries
The RCM agreed the area to be co-ordinated will be the Mediterranean Sea, Figure 1. The co-ordination RCM will consider all DCR related issues in this area and taking the species listed in Annex .XII of the DCR (COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1639/2001 including tunas.
Figure 1 – Mediterranean Sea
Fisheries and Countries.
A short presentation was given on the countries exploiting the fisheries of the Mediterranean The RCM agreed that all the relevant EU countries (Cyprus France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, ) exploiting the fisheries in the defined Mediterranean area should be represented at the meeting[1].
3 Meeting Objectives
As this was the first meeting, the objectives of the RCM meeting were discussed and agreed:
1 The annual RCM meeting should act as an informal forum for National Correspondents, Scientists (Biologists and Economists) from each Member State and the Commission .
2 Underpinning the aim of this group to be dynamic with flexible processes participants will make decisions in relation to matters such as task-sharing, collaboration and the implementation of efficiencies
3 The RCM will identify areas that will lead to improved co-ordination, collaboration, standardisation and efficiencies in the DCR for the Mediterranean Area.
4 The RCM will discuss DCR issues and make clear recommendations on how they should be resolved. It will also identify where these recommendations can be actioned (e.g. Working Groups, Special Studies, Bilateral Agreements). The meeting should not get too technical. Technical issues should be resolved in other fora.
Data
SGRN will issue new guidelines on the format of Member States Technical Reports, which will include a table giving details of data submitted to various assessment Working RCMs
4 Surveys in the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean RCM recognised that surveys play an important part in the Data Collection Regulation and utilises a significant proportion of the budget allocated to Member States. Medits is the only survey in priority 1, in addition to Tuna tagging, and involves all the EU countries and several non members states countries. In extended program are national demersal survey and more of them are acoustics surveys.
This Medits demersal survey is coordinated at the international level since 1994 (protocols, guidelines, gears, annual meetings). The RCM discussed the place of the Medits working group, which deals with the valorisation of the Medits collected data, knowing that UE is able to fund only one coordination meeting a year. The GFCM could be the regional umbrella to develop such a scientific analysis and assessment issues. The RCM was informed of a French proposal to merge coordination and attempts to produce indicators on the state of the stocks during the next meeting which will be held in Nantes in March 2005. EC representative confirmed the eligibility of this proposal through the DCR and confirmed that 2 participants per UE country can be funded by DCR national program. It was stressed that Medits, as other priority 1 surveys, should provide contribution to advices production at national levels and through international bodies (GFCM, STECF, Working groups).
Concerning tuna tagging, RCM noted that the national programs are not well coordinated at the regional level. The objectives of tagging might be in relation to assessment issues to be relevant to DCR. In this context and due to the cost of such a program, coordination between countries is necessary to define a tagging strategy taking in account the real widely distribution of the bluefin tuna and the ICCAT recommendations. Attention to other relevant highly migratory species could be also considered (swordfish, albacore). The Mediterranean RCM recommends this meeting (may be in Spain (Malaga) or in Italia, with some Atlantic MS participation) to be held in the beginning of 2005 to include its conclusions in the submissions for 2006 National Programs.
The RCM noted the lack of international coordination for the surveys dealing with small pelagic species (sardine and anchovy). It recommends a workshop to be organised through DCR to identify the way for such a coordination (best periods depending of the objectives, standardization of protocols, intercalibration, writen guidelines…).
5 Other Biological Parameters
The Chapter III (Module H section I) of the Commission Regulation (EC) 1639/2001, was discussed. One of the parameters with potential to cause the more major problems is maturity.
As there is no defined methodology for the maturity sampling (i.e., different maturity scales) it may be the case that the data collected by member states cannot easily be combined to provide common results.
Regional Co-Ordination Meeting (RCM) for the Mediterranean recognised the importance of coordination on biological sampling issues to ensure that the species mentioned in the Appendix XVI of the Regulation will be sampled properly and stressed the importance of the exchange of methodology and the standardization of protocols to investigate sexual maturity.
The group support the proposal made during the last Regional Co-Ordination Meeting for the N.E. Atlantic regarding the organization of the workshop on the standardizations of maturity staging.
The RCM for the Mediterranean agreed to complete a table where the list of species included in the amendment of regulation (1639/2001) will be reviewed by each member state taken in consideration the average Mediterranean production the period 2000-2002 or when possible 2001-2003. This will be used to make comments on the possibility to sample according to the rules mentioned in the Regulation. Those results will be discussed during the next RC Mediterranean meeting (Greece, 2005).
Recommendations
The Group recommended the establishment of a EU web site for data collection issues. The web site should contain all relevant report for the commission member state and the working groups.
5 Economic Data
A workshop was held at IFREMER in Paris in May 2004. The aim of the workshop was to harmonize definitions of economic indicators and common methodologies for calculation. For each indicator in the appendix XVII of the Commission Regulation 1639/2001, definitions and descriptions were suggested.
The recommended definitions agreed at the workshop are to be discussed by a sub-RCM of STECF meeting in October 2004 for full agreement by STECF in November 2004. However, as the parameters were specified in the Council Regulation, there could not be any obligation on Member States to use these new definitions until the change to the Council Regulation in 2006. Member States were encouraged to take them into consideration.
The workshop also discussed several problem areas:
· Several Member States operated thresholds for their economic work such that those vessels operating at turnover levels lower than the threshold were not covered by their collection of data.
· The bulk of the EU fleet (in terms of numbers) is small vessels (less than 12m). The general agreement within the Paris working group was that these small vessels should be accounted for in the collection of economic data, considering their regional importance in terms of employment and their impacts on coastal resources.
· The workshop realized the importance of taking geographical criteria. When possible, it could be taken into account as a basis for segmentation.
· The workshop stressed the importance to have some indication of the quality of the information provided, and of the reliability of the sample.
A follow-up workshop will be organized in order to address the following points:
1. Define a common method for the calculation of depreciation of physical capital and opportunity cost by each Member State
2. Discuss a common definition of Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
3. Consider and discuss the list of “other indicators relevant”.
This follow-up workshop, to be held in the first half of 2005 in Italy, hosted by IREPA, will also look at progress made by Member States towards using the agreed parameters and definitions.
The RCM recommends that all Member States, even those not directly involved in the workshop in Paris in May 2004, look at the report of the workshop, and do the analysis recommended as a precursor to their participation in the follow-up workshop in 2005.
6 Fleet Based Sampling
Mediterranean member states will define their fleet metiers in line with protocols outlined in the 2003 ICES report of the SGDFBF.
However, developments of the new GFCM approach to fleet segmentation by Operational Units will be kept in view and considered at Community level. The possibility of collecting data by Operational Units may be more appropriate since this segmentation collectively considers the type fishing operation, target species and economic characteristics; in this way, biological and economic sampling will be performed on common segments.
The opportunity to draw up a proposal for a small scale project on this issue, building on the work already carried out within the framework of GFCM, was also discussed during the Coordination Meeting.
7 Small Scale Projects
The Commission has funding available for small scale studies that add value to or improve the quality of the data collected under DCR.
It was noted that proposals should adhere to the idea that the funding is to add value to the DCR not to fund what should be main programme work.
MS are encouraged to look at areas of the DCR that would benefit from collaborate studies that could be eligible for this funding.
Small projects terms of reference are described in Council Decision 439/2000, article 9.
8. Concluding Comments
Participants agreed that this had been a useful and productive meeting. The format will evolve as the RCM concept develops.
There is a need for strong cross linkages between the RCM and the chairs of each group should maintain informal contacts.
RCM strongly recommends that the Commission establish a web site for the Data Collection Regulation. This website should contain all relevant reports from the Commission and Member states, give details of pending reports to be submitted to the Commission together with clear guidelines on the nature of the reports. The web site could also act as a bulletin Board for the DCR. Such a web site will be a considerable benefit to the co-ordination of the DCR.
RCM recommends that the chairs of each RCM should hold the position for a period of one year and try to ensure that all recommendations are followed up
and actioned.
The Reports of RCM’s should be distributed to all National Correspondents ,
STECF, SGRN and the Commission.
The next meeting of the RCM for the Mediterranean will take place in Greece in March, 2005.
Other Issues
The issue of Member States data set was discussed. The JRC are finalising a common Data Exchange Format and there will be a meeting with Member States in early September 2004. The Commission advised the RCM that JRC will undertake a series of pilot requests, asking member states to supply various aggregated data sets.
9. Summary Table of Recommendations
Appendix 1 Meeting Agenda
EU Data Collection Regulation
Mediterranean Co-ordination meeting
Towards improved co-ordination, integration and efficiencies
INSTITUTO ESPAÑOL DE OCEANOGRAFÍA, MADRID
7th to 8th September 2004
AGENDA
Tuesday 7th September 2004 (Day 1)
09.00 Introduction and Welcome
Objectives of the Meeting
Meeting Report Format and Structure
Adoption of the Agenda
Appointment of Rapporteurs
09.30 Setting the Context
The Mediterranean Sea ; Area - Fisheries - Countries
Discussion
10.00 The Data Collection Regulation
Component Modules – A Summary
Areas this meeting will focus on
Key issues that need to be addressed
Clarifying the current role of EU, Member States and others
Discussion
10.30 COFFEE
11.00 Surveys
Surveys in the Mediterranean Sea Area