Annex 7 Report of the Working Group on Fish Stock Assessment (Hobart, Australia, 8 to 19 October 2012) CONTENTS Page OPENING OF THE MEETING .............................................................. 271 ORGANISATION OF THE MEETING AND ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ....... 271 REVIEW OF AVAILABLE DATA ......................................................... 272 Data reporting ............................................................................... 272 Activities in CCAMLR fisheries .......................................................... 273 Estimates of effort from IUU fishing ..................................................... 274 Catches of D. eleginoides in waters adjacent to the Convention Area ................. 275 ESTABLISHED FISHERIES ................................................................. 275 C. gunnari South Georgia (Subarea 48.3) ................................................ 276 Management advice ..................................................................... 276 C. gunnari Heard Island (Division 58.5.2) ............................................... 276 Management advice ..................................................................... 277 D. eleginoides South Georgia (Subarea 48.3) ............................................ 277 Management advice ..................................................................... 277 D. eleginoides Heard Island (Division 58.5.2) ........................................... 277 Management advice ..................................................................... 277 D. eleginoides Kerguelen Island (Division 58.5.1) ...................................... 278 Management advice ..................................................................... 278 D. eleginoides Crozet Islands (Subarea 58.6) ............................................ 279 Management advice ..................................................................... 279 D. eleginoides Prince Edward and Marion Islands (Subareas 58.6 and 58.7) ......... 279 Management advice ..................................................................... 279 EXPLORATORY AND OTHER FISHERIES .............................................. 279 Exploratory fisheries in 2011/12 .......................................................... 279 Exploratory fisheries notified for 2012/13 ............................................... 282 Other Dissostichus spp. fisheries .......................................................... 283 Dissostichus spp. South Sandwich Islands (Subarea 48.4) .......................... 283 Management advice ................................................................. 284 Research to inform current or future assessments ....................................... 284 Exploratory fisheries .................................................................... 285 Subarea 48.6 .......................................................................... 285 Divisions 58.4.1 and 58.4.2 – East Antarctica ..................................... 288 Division 58.4.3a (Elan Bank) ....................................................... 291 Division 58.4.3b (BANZARE Bank)............................................... 293 Closed fisheries .......................................................................... 293 Subarea 48.5 – Weddell Sea ........................................................ 293 Divisions 58.4.4a and 58.4.4b (Ob and Lena Banks) ............................. 295 Generic issues applicable across all research proposals .............................. 297 Results of research in exploratory fisheries ........................................... 299 Research methods ....................................................................... 302 Tagging training ..................................................................... 303 267 Assessment and management advice for depleted and recovering stocks ............. 305 Subarea 48.1 – C. gunnari and N. rossii .............................................. 305 C. gunnari Kerguelen Islands (Division 58.5.1) ...................................... 306 Management advice ................................................................. 306 BOTTOM FISHING ACTIVITIES AND VULNERABLE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS .................................................................... 306 Review of VMEs notified in 2011/12 ..................................................... 307 Review of preliminary assessments of the impact of bottom fishing................... 307 Report on Bottom Fisheries and VMEs ................................................... 308 SCHEME OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION ...................... 309 FISH BY-CATCH ............................................................................. 310 Submitted papers ........................................................................... 310 Skate tagging ................................................................................ 312 Skate by-catch in Division 58.4.3a ........................................................ 314 Seabirds and marine mammals ............................................................ 314 Marine debris ............................................................................... 315 BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY AND INTERACTIONS IN FISH-BASED ECOSYSTEMS .. 316 Pan-Antarctic studies ....................................................................... 317 Ross Sea ..................................................................................... 317 Biological parameters for commercial and by-catch species ........................ 317 Ecological and ecosystem studies ...................................................... 318 Taxonomic studies ...................................................................... 319 Scotia Sea ................................................................................... 320 Biological parameters for commercial and by-catch species ........................ 320 Ecological and ecosystem studies ...................................................... 320 Taxonomic studies ...................................................................... 321 AGEING WORKSHOP FOR D. ELEGINOIDES AND D. MAWSONI .................. 321 Otolith collection protocols ................................................................ 322 Otolith preparation protocols .............................................................. 322 Definition of otolith structures ............................................................ 323 Quality assurance and quality control ..................................................... 323 Validation ................................................................................... 324 Data handling ............................................................................... 325 FUTURE WORK .............................................................................. 325 OTHER BUSINESS ........................................................................... 327 ADVICE TO THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE AND ITS WORKING GROUPS ..... 328 ADOPTION OF THE REPORT .............................................................. 329 CLOSE OF MEETING ........................................................................ 329 REFERENCES ................................................................................. 329 268 Tables ........................................................................................... 331 Figures .......................................................................................... 346 Appendix A: List of Participants ......................................................... 348 Appendix B: Agenda ...................................................................... 357 Appendix C: List of Documents ......................................................... 359 Appendix D: Tagging protocol checklist ................................................ 368 Appendix E: Summary of biological studies ............................................ 369 Appendix F*: Report on bottom fisheries and vulnerable marine ecosystems Appendix G*: Fishery Report: Champsocephalus gunnari South Georgia (Subarea 48.3) Appendix H*: Fishery Report: Champsocephalus gunnari Heard Island (Division 58.5.2) Appendix I*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides South Georgia (Subarea 48.3) Appendix J*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides Heard Island (Division 58.5.2) Appendix K*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides Kerguelen Islands (Division 58.5.1) Appendix L*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides Crozet Island inside the French EEZ (Subarea 58.6) Appendix M*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides Prince Edward Islands South African EEZ (Subareas 58.6 and 58.7) Appendix N*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Subareas 88.1 and 88.2 Appendix O*: Fishery Report: Dissostichus eleginoides and Dissostichus mawsoni South Sandwich Islands (Subarea 48.4) Appendix P*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Subarea 48.6 Appendix Q*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Division 58.4.1 * Appendices F to U are published only in electronic format (www.ccamlr.org/node/75667). 269 Appendix R*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Division 58.4.2 Appendix S*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Division 58.4.3a Appendix T*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Division 58.4.3b Appendix U*: Fishery Report: Exploratory fishery for Dissostichus spp. in Divisions