Ensuring Healthy Fish Stocks: ICES Approach to Descriptor 3 Implementation

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

8. 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, BMSYtrigger • F≤ FMSY • SSB ≥ BMSYtrigger 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

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 3 (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

16. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES • Criterion 3.1 and 3.2 • Binary Example: North Sea

17. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES • Criterion 3.1 , 3.2 and 3.3 without reference levels

18. GES – Assessment rules to determine current status against GES • Criterion 3.2 • Continuum Example: Bay of Biscay/Iberia

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