The Regional Coordination Groups NANSEA and Baltic met for their back-to-back annual meeting to review the situation of existing issues, achievements, and developments of the regional coordination. The meeting started on 4 June 2024, with one day virtual session; followed one week later, by a physical meeting from 11- 14 June, in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The Technical Meeting was followed by 75 participants, including national correspondents and national experts from the participating Member States, ICES as the main end user and Commission represented by DG MARE.
During this Technical Meeting (TM) five Terms of Reference (ToRs) were overseen following the intersessional progress of 14 different ISSGs and subgroups during 2023-2024.
Key aspects from each ToR include:
ToR 1: Alignment between data collection and end-user needs.
- The Commission presentation included the timelines for the Regional Work Plans (RWP) 2025-2027 and RWP 2028-2023. There was also an update regarding the developments of the new DTMT platform.
- ICES presented the recommendations system (managed in GitHub) and delve into how overviews developed by RCG could be useful for Data Evaluation Workshops.
ToR 2: Data quality in data collection focused on coordinating and harmonising work and methods within the regions and overviews of fisheries and sampling
- The WGRDBESGOV gave an overview of the roadmap for the development of RDBES and highlighted that in 2027 data uploads will only be accepted to RBDES.
- ICES also gave an update regarding the structure, the work done, new functionalities and the delivery of data from RDBES.
- The work of the ISSG on “RBD catch, effort and sampling overviews” is key for the RCG as it provides means to answer to other ISSG needs.
- The ISSG “Metier and transversal variable issues” developed a template for documentation of methods used in the implementation of new metiers codes at a pan regional level.
ToR 3: Impact on management measures on data collection.
- The control regulation (2023/2842) has been agreed and will be implemented gradually until 2030. Regarding the Marine Action Plan, the Commission highlighted the expectation that MS will improve the monitoring of incidental bycatch of sensitive species and how these improvements should be reflected on the National Work Plans (Oct 2024).
- RCG chairs presented feedback from a series of meetings of the “joint special group in support of the Marine Action Plan” focused on the expectation of a roadmap on existing and planned activities to meet 2030 Biodiversity Targets.
ToR 4: Development and implementation of RWP.
- Both NANSEA and Baltic 2025-2027 RWPs were submitted to European Commission in May 2024. At the meeting the sub-group focused on developing a template to guide MSs on how to link RWPs with National Work Plans (NWP). The steps for drafting RWP for 2028-2030 were also presented.
- The three ISSGs for Regional Sampling Plan case studies presented their status, while the ISSGs on Optimized and Operational Regional Sampling Plans will continue on hold.
- The ISSG ‘Identification of case studies of PETS bycatch monitoring’, reported relevant initiatives, and large international EU funded projects that aim at significant progress on monitoring and mitigation of incidental bycatch of ETP (Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species) species.
- It was noted by the ISSG Regionally coordinated stomach sampling and recreational fishery, that the analysis of the stomachs collected could be addressed by a regional sampling plan for the Baltic.
ToR 5: Governance.
- The financing of the RCGs Secretariat was discussed, and the ISSG NCs drafted a text on funding of the RCGs Secretariat during 2024 – 2025 to be agreed at the Decision meeting in late Sep.
- The RCGs Secretariat presented an update on their activities, focused on supporting and coordinating theRCG work; managing virtual working spaces, supporting RCG chairs and maintaining the www.fisheries-rcg.eu website.
- The ISSGs will continue to work in 2024/2025, and a dedicated meeting will be held in November for ISSG chairs, to discuss timelines, expected outputs and the role of the ISSG vs. ICES.