Report Of The 2007 Inter-Sessional Meeting Of The Sub-Committee On Ecosystems

The Sub-Committee discussed the terms of reference, which included four major groups: monitoring, research, modeling and assessment, as well as the corresponding levels of priority as established by the SCRS, and pointed out the need for flexibility as regards these priorities. Taking as a reference the ongoing work from other RFMOs, the Sub-Committee considered the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) framework as a good way to prioritize research activities. Regarding data, a specific request from the Sub-Committee on Statistics asking for a protocol regarding by-catch data collection was made. The Sub-Committee also developed a Workplan for a seabird assessment which includes different objectives, from identifying seabird species most at risk from fishing in the ICCAT Convention area to assess the likely impact of this by-catch on seabird populations.