PRESS RELEASE: ANNUAL STOCK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP IN CTN

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL STOCK ASSESSMENT REVIEW WORKSHOP, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, MONDAY 2 TO FRIDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012

Over Monday 2 to Friday 6 December an international panel of scientists will be conducting an annual review of the analyses used to provide scientific advice for the management of the major South African fisheries. This review takes the form of a workshop to be held at the University of Cape Town (Mathematics Building Room M212, 9 am to 5-30 pm daily, except for an 11 am start on the Tuesday). 

Four leading international fisheries scientists make up the review panel. They are Sean Cox (Simon Fraser University, Canada), Ana Parma (Centro Nacional Patagonico, Argentina), Andre Punt (University of Washington, USA) and Tony Smith (Chair, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Australia).

Discussions this year will focus on the four-yearly process currently in progress of revision of the formula used to recommend catches for hake, which is South Africa’s most important and valuable fishery and upon which thousands of jobs in the Western Cape depend. Deliberations will extend to review research related to the possible sharing of the hake populations with Namibia, and the implications which that might have for joint decision making for hake in the region. The other major species under review will be sardine, and the possibility that this consists of two rather than one stock. This has ramifications for the manner in which sardine fishing might best be distributed along the coast. There are associated implications regarding promotion of the recovery of the African penguin population, which is currently severely depleted and relies heavily on sardine for food. Technical documents to be considered at the workshop can be found at http://www.mth.uct.ac.za/maram/publications.php?year=2013&class=ws .

While most discussions will be fairly technical, at 3-30 pm on Friday 6th in Lecture Theatre 2 of the Zoology Building at UCT, the panel will present their findings and recommendations at a lay level, and thereafter answer questions from the audience.

For more information kindly contact di.lapidoloureiro AT uct.ac.za