PARTICIPANTS
Countries
Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain.
SCOPE
Long Distance Fisheries (LDF)
The Regional Coordination Group for the Long Distance Fisheries (RCG LDF) covers EU long-distance fisheries operating in areas managed by key Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), including:
TERMS OF REFERENCE
- TOR 1. Review progress since previous year following up the Liaison Meeting report
- TOR 2. Review feedback from end users
- TOR 3. Analyse data from RCG LDF data call
- TOR 4. Regional data collection, analysis and storage
- TOR 5. Future data collection set up in CECAF/SPRFMO/NAFO
- TOR 6. AOB
RESOURCES
DCF: European Commission – Fisheries Data Collection Framework
The Data Collection Framework (DCF) is the EU system that guides Member States in collecting and reporting fisheries data in a harmonised manner.
ICES: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea - SharePoint
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is an intergovernmental marine science organization, meeting societal needs for impartial evidence on the state and sustainable use of our seas and oceans.
RCGs Métier list
The GitHub repository containing the standard métier codes and related scripts is a reference tool used by the RCGs to classify fishing activities, including gear, target species and fleet characteristics.
R Markdown
A dynamic reporting framework developed in the R programming language (https://cran.r-project.org) that enables the creation of fully reproducible documents. R Markdown combines narrative text, code, and outputs—such as tables, plots, and results—into a single, unified file. It provides a powerful platform for sharing analyses, producing technical reports, and generating automated documents in multiple formats including HTML, PDF, and Word.
Shiny
Interactive web framework developed in R programming language (https://cran.r-project.org) that provides a powerful platform for sharing the group’s research. This web application allows to explore results, test assumptions, and download custom datasets and figures.
INTERSESSIONAL SUBGROUPS (ISSGs)
SPRFMO OP
Background
The ISSG on SPRFMO OP was established in 2022 following the LDF_2022_R02 to address the SPRFMO requirements as provided for in the “Conservation and Management Measure Establishing the SPRFMO Observer Programme” (CMM 16-2023), and in particular the requirement for observer programme to undergo the SPRFMO accreditation procedure.
General description
The ISSG has worked on the accreditation procedure of the EU Observer Program in accordance with the requirements of SPRFMO and to determine the effective preparation and implementation of other related activities such as:
- the review and updates to observer manual,
- planning and setup of training workshops for EU observers,
- discussion on new multilateral agreement beyond 2024.
Chairs: Irek Wójcik Sieto (POL), Verver (NLD)
RCGs involved: LDF
NAFO Harmonization protocols for on-board sampling
Background
[under construction]
General description
[under construction]
Chairs: Liivika Näks (EST)
RCGs involved: LDF
CECAF OP
Background
The ISSG was established following the recommendation LDF_2024_R03 by the RCG LDF on their annual meeting in 2024, with the primary objective of jointly organising the necessary scientific observer coverage in the CECAF Regulatory Area in cooperation with the Mauritanian Institute for Fisheries Research (IMROP).
General description
Under the newly renegotiated EU-Mauritania SFPA and protocol, Category 6 vessels fishing in the Mauritanian EEZ are obliged to always embark two "scientific observers”. In Mauritania, scientific observers should be provided by the Mauritanian institute for fisheries research (IMROP), which is currently lacking the capacity to do it.
DGMARE informed that the EU-Mauritania Joint Committee has taken up the recommendation of the 2023 RCG to jointly organise the necessary scientific observer coverage. In particular, the JC agreed to facilitate the embarkation of one (or two) EU scientific observers by directly involving the existing multilateral agreement coordinating the EU’s joint sampling programme of pelagic fisheries , when Mauritanian observers are not available.
The ISSG is set up in order to address issues related to the development of a procedure for smoothly embarking EU observers under the EU-Mauritania SFPA. Such a simplified procedure that allows for direct contact between the EU joint sampling program coordinator and vessels’ operators should remove the existing problems with the embarkation of EU observers.
Chairs: Maksims Kovsars (LAV)
RCGs involved: LDF
SMEFF fisheries in the high seas
Background
[under construction]
General description
[under construction]
Chairs:
RCGs involved: LDF
Regional overviews
Background
The intersessional subgroup on RDB catch, effort and sampling overviews (former name of this group) was established in 2018 to streamline and facilitate the work on the fisheries and sampling data of the MS and prepare data overviews in advance of the RCG meetings. Before the subgroup was set up, the different RCG conducted data analysis and overviews separately with minimal exchange, resulting in redundancies and efficiency loss. Furthermore, a substantial part of the work was being carried out during the RCG meetings themselves and so not readily available to inform RCG preparation and meeting discussions.
General description
RDBES data are used to produce fisheries and sampling overviews which are intended to support the analysis and resolution of specific issues raised and discussed within RCGs, for which technical decisions are required. In addition, they will provide a regional overview that can inform discussions on how to implement or improve the sampling at regional level. Additionally, as a request from the RCG the group is also working in producing figures about the landings in foreign countries in order to identify the need for bilateral agreements. Therefore, it is essential that the specific requirements and priorities of the RCGs are clearly communicated to this ISSG, to ensure that these outputs are produced in alignment with their intended use and decision-making needs.
The tasks and code developed in the subgroup work are present in the RCG-RDBES-Overviews GitHub repository which is used collaboratively by the ISSG members.
Chairs: Ana Cláudia Fernandes (PRT), Lucía Zarauz (ESP)
DOCUMENTS
CONTACT RCG LDF CHAIR
