Report of the Study Group on Practical Implementation on Discard Sampling Plans (SGPIDS)

The Study Group on Practical Implementation of Discard Sampling Plans (SGPIDS; chaired by Edwin van Helmond, The Netherlands) met 27 June – 1 July 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Seventeen participants representing 11 countries were present at the meeting, including the outgoing chair, Simon Northridge, of ICES WGBYC (Working Group on Bycatch of Protected Species). SGPIDS was proposed by ICES PGCCDBS (2010) in response to a request from the Regional Coordination Meeting for the North Sea and Eastern Arctic (RCM NS&EA; 2010) to foster the exchange of experience and exper-tise between experts on discard sampling, planning and implementation of PGCCDBS recommendations and ultimately synchronize coordination and data collection procedures of discard sampling between members states.