Meta-analysis of catch reporting in CCAMLR exploratory fisheries

The Secretariat has prepared a meta-analysis of the target and by-catch reported in CCAMLR exploratory fisheries (as an update to WG-FSA-15/04 Rev. 1). The number of fish belonging to target species divided by the total number of fish caught (the target catch ratio) is used as simple metric of the relative level of target and by-catch reported for each haul. This index showed little variation between gear type and area. However, it appears that the differences in reporting between Members that were identified in 2015 remain apparent in the data. Measures to improve the quality of bycatch data reported in CCAMLR fisheries may include the development of a detailed manual on by-catch sampling as well as bycatch profiles for individual fisheries and gear types.