Ninth Workshop on the Development of Quantitative Assessment Methodologies based on LIFE-history traits, exploitation characteristics, and other relevant parameters for data-limited stocks (WKLIFE IX)

The Workshop on the Development of Quantitative Assessment Methodologies based on Life-history traits, exploitation characteristics, and other relevant parameters for data-limited stocks (WKLIFE) focuses on the provision of sound advice rules for data-limited stock (DLS) assessments that are within the ICES MSY framework. This ninth workshop was convened to further address the challenges to the evidence base for the provision of ICES advice with specific reference to DLS. The reviewers’ report of WKLIFE VIII (ICES, 2018) was used as the basis to draft ICES technical guidance on advice rules for stocks in Categories 3 and 4 following the meeting in 2018. The draft document reflected the conclusions of the WKLIFE VIII meeting report but in order to provide a good guidance document to the ICES community, some of the text and steps identified required further elaboration. The intersessional work undertaken ahead of this WKLIFE IX meeting provided a basis to revise the draft and during this WKLIFE IX meeting, the draft technical guidance was revised and updated. The draft report of, and recommendations from, the ICES workshop on data-limited stocks of short-lived species (WKDLSSLS) was re-viewed and additional simulation studies undertaken during WKLIFE IX, and the need for specific advice rules for these stocks examined. Annex 3 to this report contains the revised and agreed text by the participants at WKLIFE IX. Specifically, the draft ICES technical guidance was revised and amended based on the work presented at WKLIFE IX and its previous workshops with respect to short-term forecasts utilising a surplus production model (SPiCT – Stochastic Production model in Continuous Time), and harvest control rules for length-based approaches, for short-lived species, and for bycatch elasmobranch stocks.