ICES member countries provide Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and logbook data which are used and analysed by the Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD) to describe fishing distribution and consider its ecological footprint.
WGSFDGOV will support the ICES Secretariat, ICES Data Centre, and WGSFD so that the following aims can be achieved:
- All VMS and related logbook data held on ICES databases, as well as the corresponding data products, will be secure to protect the personal and commercial data of the fisheries from which the data originate.
- The output of the respective ICES databases that form the basis of ICES advice will be reliable regarding data quality by conducting sufficient and effective quality checks.
- Review the spatial fisheries data calls and submissions to (a) rationalise the data needs; (b) provide easy and understandable guidance for those that have to answer the calls and submit data.
