Fishery-independent survey data are generally dealt with on a survey level, and not evaluated regionally across surveys. Our goal is to combine fishery-independent data for the North Sea, in a manner that is useful for data end-users (i.e., North Sea integrated ecosystem and/or stock assessment). The WGNSNETSEA aims to combine data from different fishery-independent surveys on a regional level (Greater North Sea), with survey experts and data users. More concrete, the group's focus is to:
- Synthesize and compare survey information on a regional level for integrated ecosystem and stock assessment, or benchmark processes.
- Provide quality assured fishery-independent survey information to data end-users on a regional level.
- Improve alignment on common issues for all fishery-independent survey types in the Greater North Sea.
The group will meet annually in-person. A core group of max. 10 people will meet online 4 times a year to keep track of the actions, and to prepare the annual meeting.
The core group members represent an expertise field in the region. It is therefore required that people with good insight in the surveys of a certain type in the North Sea as well as a network within ICES community, participate in the core group. This could for example be a former expert group chair. For the WGNSNETSEA core group the following expertise is needed: North Sea IBTS, Beam trawl surveys, Acoustic surveys, tv surveys (Nephrops), Inchthyoplankton surveys, Ecosystem assessment in the North Sea, and furthermore statisical/modelling and sampling design expertise.
Expertise needed for WGNSNETSEA annual meeting depends on the topic, and will be further specified when the first meeting is prepared, but in broad sense it is: end-user expertise from stock assessment and ecosystem assessment working in North Sea area (e.g. WGINOSE, WGNSSK, HAWG, WGCRAN) as well as expertise in data analysis, survey design (e.g. WGIPEM, WGISUR, WGISDAA) and cruiseleaders/scientific leaders from all surveys in the area (representation from WGIPS, WGSINS, IBTSWG, WGBEAM, WGMEGS, WGNEPS).
