WG-FSA-13

The meeting will be convened by Dr M. Belchier (UK). The Secretariat will outline local arrangements for the meeting. The agenda of the meeting will be discussed and adopted. The following provisional agenda covers items to be considered in plenary session by WG-FSA.
 

WG-FSA will undertake biennial assessments for the fisheries for Dissostichus eleginoides in Subarea 48.3 and Division 58.5.2, and the fisheries for Dissostichus spp. in Subareas 88.1 and 88.2, in addition to other stocks and areas as set out in Table 1, in order to provide the Scientific Committee with advice on precautionary catch limits and other issues relevant to management of CCAMLR fisheries.

Table 1: CCAMLR fisheries and schedule of advice for consideration by WG-FSA

• The Working Group will undertake the majority of the work identified in the adopted agenda in subgroups. Progress reports will be given from each subgroup to plenary sessions, with the opportunity for additional discussion and consideration. The prioritisation and scheduling of subgroups will be directed by the Convener. [Note that, as this is a year of biennial assessments, there may be a reduced scope for subgroup consideration of non-target catch and biology/ecology]

Subject to the views of the Working Group the following subgroups will be established:

• Subgroup on Assessments – review preliminary assessments and further develop stock assessments and estimation of precautionary catch limits of target species. It is anticipated that assessments will be completed and reviewed by the end of the first week, and assessment results will be used to provide advice on precautionary catch limits (agenda item 4).
• Subgroup on research to inform current or future assessments – review information from research fishing in 2012/13, and review and evaluate submitted research plans for research fishing under CM 21-02 and CM 24-01 including the relevant advice of WG-SAM-13 (Agenda Item 6).
• Subgroup on non-target catch in CCAMLR fisheries – review catches of fish and non-VME invertebrates taken as by-catch, as well as incidental catches of seabirds and marine mammals in longline and trawl fisheries (Agenda Item 9).

The Working Group will review available information from fisheries, research fishing activities and surveys relevant to stock assessments. The Working Group should consider, inter alia:

• catch and effort data
• information on IUU fishing
• catches of D. eleginoides in waters adjacent to the Convention Area
• scientific observer information
• depredation.

The Working Group will consider the outcomes and recommendations of WG-SAM-13 as they relate to the work of WG-FSA to be undertaken at this meeting.

The Working Group will review the inputs to be used for stock assessments, particularly those that have changed since the last assessment, and submitted papers that summarise preliminary stock assessments (see Table 1 [Agenda Item 2.1]). The Working Group will also review and evaluate new information proposed for use in assessments. Authors of preliminary stock assessments should prepare brief presentations (not exceeding 10 minutes each) which summarise the methods, model assumptions, fits and diagnostics, projections, and estimates of precautionary catch limits.

Assessments and management advice for those fisheries identified in Agenda Item 4.2 will be provided following the review process as set out in WG-FSA-06/06 (paragraphs 6.1 to 6.3).

For each established fishery, the Fishery Report¹ will be updated with current information, and include the assessment method used, the input data, results of the assessments and the advice of WG-FSA to the Scientific Committee. In cases where no assessment is undertaken, Fishery Reports will be updated with the current information available.

      ¹Where possible, reports will be updated by the Secretariat prior to the meeting, reviewed and further updated during the meeting by WG-FSA participants and published on the CCAMLR website following the meeting.

The Secretariat will summarise available information from the exploratory fisheries carried out in 2012/13 (no new fishery was notified for that season) and the Working Group will review information from these fisheries.

The Secretariat will summarise Members’ notifications for exploratory fisheries in 2013/14 (no new fishery has been notified for next season) and the Working Group will provide management advice to the Scientific Committee.

Fishery Reports¹ for exploratory fisheries will be updated with current information. Updates to the Fishery Reports may include additional management advice, such as precautionary catch limits, and specific aspects of the management of those catch limits.

      ¹Where possible, reports will be updated by the Secretariat prior to the meeting, reviewed and further updated during the meeting by WG-FSA participants and published on the CCAMLR website following the meeting.

The Working Group will review and evaluate research plans for research fishing submitted under CM 21-02, for data-poor exploratory fisheries in Subareas 48.6 and 58.4, and under CM 24-01 for research fishing in other areas. All research plans should take into consideration the Scientific Committee’s advice relative to the research framework for data-poor fisheries and be consistent with advice provided in paragraphs 2.9 to 3.28 of the report of WG-SAM-13.

The Working Group will consider assessments for fisheries on depleted and recovering stocks for which new data have been submitted, or the Scientific Committee has requested an assessment, or fishery proposals have been submitted for a specific stock.

The Working Group will consider any new information on direct and indirect interactions between bottom fisheries and VMEs.

VME risk areas notified under CM 22-07 in 2012/13 will be reviewed, as well as any research relating to additional mitigation measures to reduce risk of significant adverse impacts on VMEs. In 2012 the Working Group agreed that the potential for bottom fisheries to cause significant adverse impacts to VMEs could be evaluated with available fishing data, and did not require information on proposed effort for the upcoming season (SC-CAMLR-XXXI, Annex 7, paragraph 6.11).

The Working Group will review and update the Report¹ on Bottom Fisheries and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems.

      ¹Where possible, reports will be updated by the Secretariat prior to the meeting, reviewed and further updated during the meeting by WG-FSA participants and published on the CCAMLR website following the meeting.

The Working Group will consider the relevant recommendations of the SISO Review panel (August 2013) and review information provided from, and priorities for sampling requirements for, scientific observation on board fishing vessels (including during research fishing) in the Convention Area.

The Working Group will review available information on catches and potential mitigation measures related to fish and non-VME invertebrates taken as by-catch in longline and trawl fisheries (including the krill fishery).

The Working Group will review incidental catches and mortality of marine mammals and seabirds in trawl and longline fisheries.

The Working Group will review fish-based ecological and ecosystem information relevant to the management of CCAMLR fisheries. WG-FSA may also review WG-EMM’s consideration of role of fish in the Ross Sea ecosystem (WG-EMM-13, paragraphs 4.1 and 4.3).

The Working Group will be invited to provide input for both a mid- and long-term work plan. Table 7 of SC-CAMLR-XXIX should be reviewed, and further advice be developed if needed.

The Working Group will consider reports form Members of upcoming research in the CCAMLR area (including research under Conservation Measure 24-01 not considered in Agenda Item 6), particularly where there may be potential for collaboration between Members in that research, and advise the Scientific Committee as needed.

The Working Group may wish to consider and provide advice on matters which are not included elsewhere in the agenda, including reports from other meetings and research activities.

The Working Group will collate, summarise, and organise advice, items of interest and concern, requests for information and guidance, etc. that were previously reported under other relevant agenda items.

All text for adoption should be available for final review on the afternoon of the day prior to report adoption. The entire report will be adopted in plenary.