Around 60% of ICES’ fish stocks are considered data limited but still require advice on fishing opportunities. Over the past 10 years, the “Workshop on the Development of Quantitative Assessment Methodologies based on Life-history traits, exploitation characteristics, and other relevant parameters for data-limited stocks” (WKLIFE) has worked on developing and improving methods for providing advice for data-limited ICES stocks.
This process culminated in 2020 at WKLIFE X in the revision of the ICES data-limited methods framework from 2012 and the new methods were subsequently rolled out in 2022.
WKLIFE will return for its 11th workshop in 2023 (hybrid Copenhagen/online), chaired by veteran WKLIFE (I-X) chair Carl O’Brien and the new co-chairs Tobias Mildenberger (DTU Aqua) and Simon Fischer (Cefas).
WKLIFE XI will (1) discuss and summarise recent work on data-limited methods, (2) support the implementation of the current data-limited methods by addressing comments from the ICES’ expert community, and (3) discuss future directions of ICES’ data-limited advice.
The terms of reference outline a range of potential topics for discussing future directions, but any topic regarding data-limited methods can be put forward. We plan to discuss these topics and their relevance to ICES in subgroups at the workshop and envision that this workshop lays the foundation of future data-limited research within ICES.
WKLIFE encourages participation from previous WKLIFE participants as well as anyone interested in data-limited methods from within and outside the ICES’ community. This workshop offers a unique opportunity to shape the science and advice for the more than 160 ICES’ data-limited stocks.
