Report of the Workshop on MSVPA in the North Sea (WKMSNS)

The ICES Multi-species Assessment Working Group (MAWG) last met in 1997 (ICES 1997a) because it was thought that there was no need for routine multi-species stock assessment and subsequent advice on management issues. Nevertheless, it is widely recognized that the development of viable long-term management strategies depends on a good understanding of species and fleet interactions, and requests for advice reflect the continued interest in this field.
This workshop will produce primarily an updated key run of the North Sea MSVPA (Multi-Species Virtual Population Analysis) and identify the future direction of multi-species work in the context of the North Sea. This is necessary if ICES is to maintain the capability to give multi-species advice. A number of developmental extensions have previously been identified for MSVPA (see, for example, ICES 2001c) but it is necessary to define a feasible and focussed programme of research.