ICES WGFTFB REPORT 2007 ICES FISHERIES TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE ICES CM 2007/FTC:06 Ref. ACFM Report of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fish Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) 23–27 APRIL 2007 DUBLIN, IRELAND International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Conseil International pour l’Exploration de la Mer H. C. Andersens Boulevard 44–46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V Denmark Telephone (+45) 33 38 67 00 Telefax (+45) 33 93 42 15 www.ices.dk [email protected] Recommended format for purposes of citation: ICES. 2007. Report of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fish Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB), 23–27 April 2007, Dublin, Ireland. ICES CM 2007/FTC:06. 197 pp. For permission to reproduce material from this publication, please apply to the General Secretary. The document is a report of an Expert Group under the auspices of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and does not necessarily represent the views of the Council. © 2007 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ICES WGFTFB Report 2007 | i Contents 1 Executive Summary................................................................................................. 1 2 Directive.................................................................................................................... 3 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 3 3.1 Terms of Reference ......................................................................................... 3 3.2 Participants ...................................................................................................... 4 3.3 Explanatory note on meeting and report structure........................................... 5 4 WGFTFB advice and requests during 2006–2007 ................................................ 5 4.1 Overview ......................................................................................................... 5 4.1.1 EU Request on Electric Beam Trawling............................................. 5 4.1.2 Request from WGMHSA.................................................................... 6 4.1.3 WGCRAN .......................................................................................... 6 4.1.4 Request from SGMIXMAN................................................................ 6 4.1.5 Other Requests.................................................................................... 6 5 Report from Study group on survey trawl standardisation (SGSTS)................. 7 6 Report on GACAPOT and SGPOT ....................................................................... 7 6.1 International Technical Workshop on Gadoid Capture by Pots (GACAPOT).................................................................................................... 7 6.2 Study Group on the Development of Fish Pots for Commercial Fisheries and Survey Purposes (SGPOT) ....................................................................... 8 7 Report from Study Group on Unaccounted Fishing Mortality ........................... 9 7.1 List of Participants........................................................................................... 9 7.2 North Atlantic Mackerel sub-group................................................................. 9 7.3 Inclusion of UFM Data in Stock Assessments .............................................. 11 8 WKNEPHSEL ....................................................................................................... 12 8.1 Overview ....................................................................................................... 12 9 WGFTFB Website and mailing list status and future........................................ 14 9.1.1 General overview.............................................................................. 14 10 WWF Smart Gear Competition ........................................................................... 14 11 ToR a): Impacts of Crangon shrimp beam trawling in the North Sea.............. 14 11.1 General overview and presentation of principal findings .............................. 14 11.1.1 Terms of Reference (ToR) (requests from the WGCRAN):............. 15 11.1.2 Assessment of efficacy of the technical measures ............................ 15 11.1.3 Evaluating the potential ecosystem impacts of the electric shrimp beam trawling ................................................................................... 15 11.1.4 List of Participants............................................................................ 16 11.1.5 Conclusions ...................................................................................... 16 11.1.6 Recommendations............................................................................. 17 11.2 Review and report on the impacts of Crangon shrimp beam trawling on benthic habitats and the marine ecosystem in the North Sea......................... 17 12 ToR b): Species Separation in demersal trawls .................................................. 18 12.1 General overview and presentation of principal findings .............................. 18 12.1.1 Terms of Reference........................................................................... 18 ii | ICES WGFTFB Report 2007 12.1.2 List of Participants............................................................................ 18 12.1.3 Main Findings................................................................................... 20 12.1.4 Recommendations and future plans.................................................. 20 12.2 Individual presentations................................................................................. 21 12.2.1 A Rope separation haddock trawl to reduce cod separation in demersal otter trawl .......................................................................... 21 12.2.2 Sharpening a blunt instrument: Species separation in dermersal otter trawls in Massachusetts, USA .................................................. 22 12.2.3 Evaluation of the escape of fish at towing depths, during haul back and at the surface for a diamond-mesh codend, a codend with exit windows and a codend fitted with a sorting grid ............... 22 13 ToR c): Technical issues relating to the Mediterranean .................................... 23 Conveners: Antonello Sala (Italy), Jacques Sacchi (France) and Enric Massutí (Spain) ........................................................................................................... 23 13.1 General overview and presentation of principal findings .............................. 23 13.1.1 Terms of Reference........................................................................... 23 13.1.2 Summary overview........................................................................... 23 13.1.3 Dialogue with appropriate Mediterranean fisheries management bodies................................................................................................ 24 13.1.4 Research on Mediterranean fishing technology................................ 26 13.1.5 Regulation of Mediterranean fisheries.............................................. 28 13.2 List of Participants......................................................................................... 29 13.3 Discussion and conclusions ........................................................................... 29 13.4 Recommendations ......................................................................................... 29 13.5 Individual presentations................................................................................. 30 13.5.1 Survival Rate of six fish species after escape from trawl codend in the Aegean Sea in winter .............................................................. 30 13.5.2 Efficiency of a change in the mesh codend geometry and he use of sorting grids to improve the size selectivity of bottom trawl in the western Mediterranean................................................................ 31 13.5.3 Revıew of the fıshıng gear management measures in the Mediterranean Sea ............................................................................ 32 13.5.4 A multidisciplinary approach for improvement of fishing gear selectivity in Mediterranean Sea....................................................... 32 14 ToR d): Gear Classification .................................................................................. 33 14.1 General Overview.......................................................................................... 33 14.1.1 Terms of Reference........................................................................... 33 14.1.2 Abstract............................................................................................. 33 14.1.3 List of Participants............................................................................ 34 14.1.4 Recommendations............................................................................. 35 15 ToR e): Advice to Assessment Working Groups................................................. 35 15.1 General Overview.......................................................................................... 35 15.1.1 Terms of Reference........................................................................... 35 15.1.2 General Issues................................................................................... 35 15.1.3 Information for Individual Assessment Working Groups................. 38 15.1.4 Recommendations............................................................................