Report of the Working Group on Integrated Assessments of the North Sea (WGINOSE)

The Working Group on Integrated Assessments of the North Sea (WGINOSE) met in Lisbon, Portugal from 11 – 15 February 2013. The meeting was co-Chaired by Dr A. Kenny (UK) and Dr M. Dickey-Collas (Denmark). There were 9 participants repre-senting 6 nations. WGINOSE is a working group which works to develop the sci-ence-base for Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEA) in the North Sea. The group works towards this goal in cooperation with similar groups within the ICES SCICOM Steering Group on the Regional Seas Programme (SSGRSP). The broad objectives of the group are: i. to develop and inform links between ecosystem assessment objectives and operational monitoring requirements,ii. to develop approaches and use of models to inform on the possible outcomes of management actions at the ecosystem level and iii. to coordinate and contribute to the preparation of ecosystem overviews to inform management advice.