Working Group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO)

The working group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO) concentrated on the group’s terms of reference (ToRs) A-C, which were all new this year. With regards to ToR A (effects of displacement), a study based on spatial effort and catch data exemplified a method to define fishery protection zones (designated fishing zones) based on area of importance to the fishery. A preliminary model study was conducted to see to what extent quota-based management leads to increased fishing effort, as fishers collect quota in a smaller fishable area. Finally, an exploratory study was conducted into the degree to which ‘predation displacement’ occurs, when prey consumption by commercially exploited predatory fish is expected to shift when areas are closed to fishing. With regard to ToR B, the working group had a discussion with the ICES ACOM chair, to develop a view on how the working group could help ICES. We identified a number of frameworks which ICES has developed, where WGECO could in future years provide advice on their further development and implementation (e.g. Ecosystem and Fishery Overviews, FEISA, ICES Offshore Renewable Energy roadmap). Under ToR C, methods for setting thresholds for indicators, WGECO provides an update on earlier work on size- and age-based thresholds for commercially exploited stocks. Finally, several methods to determine threshold values for the MSFD were compared. Since group attendance was low, no work on ToR D (spatial indicators) was conducted this year. In the coming years, we will continue to focus on ToRs A-C, with ToR D dependent on attendance in future years. We particularly look forward to interacting with the incoming SCICOM chair, and to have further discussions on ToR B.