SA Stock Assessment Review Workshop

ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL STOCK ASSESSMENT REVIEW WORKSHOP, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, MONDAY 26 TO FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2012

Over Monday 26 to Friday 30 November an international panel of scientists will be conducting an annual review of the analyses used to provide scientific advice for the management of 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). 

Four leading international fisheries scientists make up the review panel. They are Carmen Fernandez (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Copenhagen), Mauricio Ortiz (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, Madrid), Andre Punt (University of Washington, USA) and Tony Smith (Chair, Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation, Australia).

Discussions will focus on methods to determine the size and sustainable yields from South Africa’s line fish, south coast rock lobster and squid resources. For the last, deliberations will include the resource implications of a proportion of this fishery being allocated for use by small scale fishers in next year’s rights reallocation process. Attention will also be given to the computation of allowable catch levels in South Africa’s largest fisheries, those for hake and for sardine and anchovy. These computations rely on input from regular surveys of abundance carried out by the research vessel Africana. The calculation of appropriate catch adjustments necessitated by the cancellation of recent surveys by this vessel will be discussed. 

While most discussions will be fairly technical, at 3-30 pm on Friday 30th in room M304 of the Mathematics Building at UCT, the panel will present their findings and recommendations at a lay level, and thereafter answer questions from the audience.

Enquiries: Di Loureiro 021-650-2340 or email di.lapidoloureiro@uct.ac.za