Report of the Working group on Science to Support Conservation, restoration and Management of Diadromous species (WGDIAD; ASC 2019)

The Working Group on Science to Support Conservation, Restoration and Management of Diadromous Species (WGDIAD) was established to provide a forum for the coordination of work on diadromous species following the disbanding of the Diadromous Fish Committee. The role of the Group is to coordinate work on diadromous species, organise Expert Groups, Theme Sessions and Symposia, and help to deliver the ICES Science Plan. The annual meeting of WGDIAD was held 10 September 2019 during the ICES Annual Science Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, and chaired by Hugo Maxwell, Ireland, and Dennis Ensing, UK. The Annual Meeting received reports from ICES Expert Groups and workshops working on diadromous species, and considered their progress and future requirements. During the meeting, the following areas were discussed in more detail:• Outcomes and deliverables from ICES EGs on diadromous fish during the last year;• International Year of the Salmon – progress report;• A progress report of the work of the Intersessional Sub Group Diadromous fish (ISSG Diad) of the Regional Coordination Groups (RCGs). The subgroup has a coordinating function and iden-tifies data collection needs for diadromous species in relation to the EU data collection regula-tion. The group met by WebEx in 2019, and was present at RCG, STECF, Liaison, and Decision Meetings. The outcomes of these meetings were presented and discussed at the WGDIAD meet-ing;• The ongoing work within ICES to evaluate the stock assessment methods used by individual countries in their national eel management plans, and the importance of co-ordination at the in-ternational level;• Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon (WGNAS) data call;• Workshop on relevant geographical area on the temporal migration patterns of European eel (WKEELMIGRATION), in response to the EU request for ICES advice on the relevant geograph-ical area and temporal migration patterns of European eel;• A theme session proposal for ASC 2021/ 2022 on exotic species (and stocks) and their impact on native species and their fisheries;• Possible future links with diadromous fish ‘working groups’ in within organisation such as the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) and North Pacific Anadromous Fish Com-mission (NPAFC);• Completion of the Workshop on Designing Eel Data Call 2 (WKEELDATA2) in 2019.