SIOFA-2020-2022 Support to SIOFA Scientific Work on key stocks, ecosystems, and data

Submitted by mmilardi on Wed, 2022-12-21 06:09

FUNDED_BY_EU

Grant agreement ID
SI2.837681
Dates
-
Funding program
European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)
Total Budget
250,000 EUR
EU Contribution
200,000 EUR
Coordinated by
Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA)
Sub-contractors and consultants

Allen Andrews - Scientific Inquiries & Innovations
Pisces Research Limited
Company for Open Ocean Observations and Logging (COOOL)
NAES consulting
Keith Reid
Fish Ageing Service
Ruben Roa-Ureta et al.
MRAG Consulting
NIWA

Summary

The SIOFA relies on a strong scientific basis for decision-making, and therefore the grant requested focuses on 5 General Objectives of scientific basis:

General Objective 1 (GO1): Support the assessment of the key target stocks (alfonsino, toothfish and orange roughy);

  • Specific Objective 1: Working towards improving the stock assessment of alfonsino. According to the SIOFA Scientific Committee (SC) future stock assessments for alfonsino should consider: potentially using tow-by-tow data, developing data catalogues to understand variables for effective standardisation work, improving future abundance estimation by applying acoustic data, conducting research towards better estimating M, clarifying time-area coverage, the complex behaviour of alfonsino, etc. A feasibility study of the cost-benefit of collecting acoustic data could be conducted. Data Poor Stock management approaches should be also explored.
  • Specific Objective 2: Supporting toothfish related research.
  • Specific Objective 3: Addressing the main tasks related to orange roughy in the work plan concerning the stock structure, age frequency, target strength and data collection protocol.
  • Specific Objective 4: Saya de Malha bank fisheries.
     

General Objective 2 (GO2): Management of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs);

  • Specific Objective 5: the definition and implementation of robust methodologies for the mapping and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, and
  • Specific Objective 6: the mitigation of possible impacts on associated and dependent species.
  • Specific Objective 7: Investigate possible habitat suitability modelling.
     

General Objective 3 (GO3): Management of others ecosystem components.

  • Specific Objective 8: Defining interactions with seabirds, mammals, bycatch species, etc.
     

General Objective 4 (GO4): Reinforcing the data collection, SIOFA data/base systems, and coding and data processes.

General Objective 5 (GO5): Making operational the Scientific Working Groups and Scientific Committee (SC) supporting and facilitating the external expertise needed for advancing on the SC multiannual WorkPlan.

Contacts

SIOFA Executive Secretary (Mr Thierry Clot, thierry.clot@siofa.org)
SIOFA Science Officer (Dr Marco Milardi, marco.milardi@siofa.org) - Project Coordinator