Report of the Study Group on Growth, Maturity and Condition in Stock Projections (SGGROMAT)

The Study Group on Growth, Maturity and Condition in Stock Projections [SGGROMAT] (Co-Chairs: C. L. Needle, UK and C. T. Marshall, Norway) met at ICES Headquarters from 5–10 December 2002 to:

a) summarize the availability of data on weights, maturity, condition, fecundity, and age-length and length-weight keys for stocks in the North Sea, Irish Sea, Barents Sea and Baltic Sea in the form of standardized tables;

b) develop process-based growth, maturity, condition and fecundity models for a subset of the stocks in a);

c) implement process-based models in a new projection methodology and compare the results to the methodology currently used;

d) agree on an intersessional programme to apply the findings of the Study Group.