Technical Guidelines - Criteria for the use of data in ICES advisory work

ACOM decided at the 2013 (ACOM, 2014) meeting on the following criteria for the use of data in ICES advisory work.

It is crucial that the data used to support science based advice are unbiased both in the sense that they are not filtered in any biased way or that access to data depends on specific outcomes of analysis. In order to ensure that ACOM has decided that data will only be used in scientific analysis to support scientific advice if they fulfill certain criteria:

Data will only be used as a basis for ICES advice if they have been collected under a framework which ensures unbiased access to and use of the full data set for analysis in support of scientific advice. ‘Full data set’ means in this context that access and use is to the complete data set at a resolution and with associated information which has been agreed prior to the collection of the data or the principles of which have been written in law.

This means that the data must either have been collected through a public programme subject to public regulation (legislation or directives), through studies or research projects where data are made available by the data collectors, or through projects or cooperative projects with the industry where a written agreement has been made prior to data collection that the complete data set will be available for analysis on support of scientific advice.