Report of the Working Group of Mackerel

At the 84th Statutory Meeting (1996 lCES Annual Science Conference) in Reykjavik, Iceland, it was decided in the tenns of reference for this Working Group that we will meet at lCES Headquarters from 9-18 September 1997 to:

a) assess the status of and provide catch options for 1998 for the stocks of mackerel and horse mackerel (defining stocks as appropriate);

b) assess the status of and provide catch options for 1998 for the sardine stock in Divisions Vlllc and IXa, and the anchovy stocks in Sub-Area VIII, and Division IXa;

c) provide the data required to carry out multispecies assessments (quarterly catches and mean weights at age in the catch and stock for 1996 by statistical rectangle ofthe North Sea for mackerel and horse mackerel);

d) propose a definition of safe biological limits using target reference points based, where appropriate, on biomass, fishing mortality, maturity, growth, age structure, exploitation patterns, geographic distribution, and other relevant parameters; based on the above parameters, propose limit reference points to be avoided with a high probability;

e) prepare medium-term forecasts of yield and SSB, taking into account uncertainities in data and assessments and assuming a stock-recruitment relationship, to inidicate the probability of attaining target reference points and avoiding limit reference points;

f) quantify changes in sardine and anchovy recruitment in the Iberian Region and the Bay of Biscay and investigate possible relationships between any environmental parameters available and indices of recruitment;

g) provide information on quantities of discards by gear type and OSPAR area for stocks of fish and fisheries considered by this group [OSPAR 1997/5.3] and report to WGECO.