Report of the ICES/HELCOM Working Group on Inetgrated Assessments of the Baltic Sea (WGIAB)

The aim of WGIAB is to conduct and further develop Integrated Assessments for the different subsystems of the Baltic Sea, as a step towards implementing the ecosystem approach in the area. Key to the implementation of an ecosystem approach to the management of marine resources and environmental quality is the development of an Integrated Assessment (IA) of the ecosystem. An IA considers the physical, chemical and biological environment – including all trophic levels and biological diversity - as well as socio-economic factors and treats fish and fisheries as an integral parts of the environment. The work of this newly established working group involves (i) a further development of overview assessments, and assessments for other subsystems of the Baltic, (ii) contributions to the HELCOM assessment system, (iii) develop new monitoring strategies, (iv) develop adaptive management strategies, and (v) consider the use of ecosystem modelling in the assessment framework. WGIAB decided on 3 major goals to be accomplished within the 3 next years, which are (i) to regularly conduct RIEAs (Regional Integrated Ecosystem Assessments), (ii) develop adaptive management strategies and (iii) incorporate modelling into the assessment work.