Publication Abstract

Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels (WGEEL)

Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels (WGEEL)

A.M. Walker* et al.

 

This Report summarizes the presentations, discussions and recommendations of the 2010 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels which took place in Hamburg, Germany, hosted by the Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (vTI/FOE), from 9 to 14 September 2010. In this section, the main outcomes from the report are summarized, a forward focus is proposed in the light of observed declines in many Anguillid stocks and the implementation of the EU Regulation for the Recovery of the Eel Stock and the main recommendations are presented by WGEEL. The Working Group in 2010, along with SGIPEE, has focused on five main themes, updating the recruitment and stocking time-series, including a spatial analysis, undertaking a preliminary post-evaluation at the EMU and international level as a model for future post-evaluations, providing support for local population assessments and filling methodological gaps in surveys in support of estimating biomass and mortality, updating the EEQD and making preliminary assessments of spawner quality and summarizing some advancements in the scientific basis for advice and eel conservation. The objective of eel stock assessment is to quantify the biomass of silver eel escaping from the Eel Management Unit (EMU) in order to assess compliance with the EU target of 40% of pristine biomass without anthropogenic mortality. Given that it will be impractical to directly assess silver eel biomass and mortality in many rivers, yellow eel stock assessment will also be required. In conjunction with SGIPEE and POSE, the Working Group identified a number of areas where gaps in knowledge existed (i.e. silver eel assessment, yellow to silver transformation, quantification of habitat) and focused on these in order to provide support for local stock assessments.

Reference:

A.M. Walker* et al. (2010) Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EIFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels (WGEEL). EIFAC/ICES. 2010. Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EOFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels. Hamburg, Germany, 9-14 September 2010. EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 41, ICES CM. 2010/ACOM:18. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2010. 721 pp.

 

A.M. Walker* et al.

EIFAC/ICES. 2010. Report of the 2010 session of the Joint EOFAC/ICES Working Group on Eels. Hamburg, Germany, 9-14 September 2010. EIFAC Occasional Paper No. 41, ICES CM. 2010/ACOM:18. Rome, FAO/Copenhagen, ICES. 2010. 721 pp.