Report of the Data Deficiency Coordination Meeting with the RACs (WKDDRAC)

Within the North West Waters RAC and the North Sea RAC there has been mounting concern that data deficiencies of various kinds impair the quality of an increasing number of ICES stock assessments. The purpose of the WKDDRAC meeting was to discuss a proposal prepared jointly by the North West Waters and North Sea RACs that regional task forces, involving fisheries scientists, fisheries managers and fishermen be formed to identify those fisheries suffering from data deficiencies, examine the nature of those deficiencies and set in motion remedial measures that would over time improve the situation. See Annex 1.
Participants included the Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (Barrie Deas), also chair of the Demersal Working Group of the North Sea RAC, a Fishery Policy Officer from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (Rory Campbell) also member of the NSRAC demersal WG, the chairs of relevant ICES as-sessment working groups (North Sea (Clara Ulrich), Celtic Sea (Joel Vigneau), and hake, megrim and monkfish (Carmen Fernandez)), the Danish data coordinator (Jørgen Dalskov), one of the ACOM vice-chairs (Manuela Azevedo), the Head of the ICES Advisory Services (Poul Degnbol), a Professional Secretary familiar with data issues (Barbara Schoute) and the chair of ACOM (J.-J. Maguire). For participants’ list, see Annex 2.