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Improving FAO’s periodic assessment of the state of world fishery resources: updates to the FAO State of Stocks Index (SoSI)
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in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 15 2024 at 4:00PM on page 3

Suggestion
(NZL-COFI-FM): The issue referred to in the original comment is that there are many ways of calculating the proxy BMSY. One way is to calculate it from a deterministic model, another is to formulate or calculate it from the range of %B0 that might be of the order of 35% B0 to 40% B0 or even 50% B0. These are 2 different methods of arriving at a proxy BMSY. The problem is that the latter gives much more conservative estimates of the BMSY proxy than the former. Deterministic models do take some account of productivity, but there are many other factors that may be ignored or not fully accounted for: e.g. parameter uncertainty, process error or variability, and risk constraints etc. Thus, a deterministic model will almost invariably give a less conservative estimate of BMSY; i.e., a lower estimate corresponding to a lower %B0, than an assessment that takes more factors into account or simply assumes a %B0 of say 40% for the same fish stock. It's the use of deterministic models to make estimates that is at issue and it is not reasonable to assume that stocks with lower estimates of BMSY are simply more productive.
replies
in reply to ICFA-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 4:55PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from ICFA, noting that FAO will continue to compute volume-based analysis for all stocks as well as for the largest 10 stocks at global level. Regional and global analysis may be misleading if weighted by the landings as the largest commercial groups are normally better managed and the picture based on global landings will give a more optimistic picture. Globally using the current level of catches and indicators (SOFIA 2022) 82.5% of the stocks were sustainable as opposed to 63.5% if each stocks has an independent weight. This trend would be similar regionally.
replies
in reply to ICFA-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 4:44PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from ICFA and confirms that this information can also be provided once all areas have been subject to the updated methodology. The Secretariat agrees with the statements on the cumulative results for the 6 areas, though 2 of these will change as they are preliminary.
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in reply to ICFA-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 3:38PM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat welcomes and fully agrees with the comment from ICFA.
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in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 3:30PM on page 5

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco and refers to previous responses in relation to the use of “underfished’’ in replacement of “not fully exploited”.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 3:19PM on page 5

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) Not fully exploited
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 3:01PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco, noting that “not fully exploited’’ has now been redefined to ’’underfished’’ in the new terminology.
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:42PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates Morocco’s comment, noting that that this terminology has been changed to “underfished’’ as previously noted.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:41PM on page 4

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) Not fully exploited
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:31PM on page 4

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) Not fully exploited
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:21PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco, noting that ‘’not fully exploited’’ was the terminology previously used which has been changed to ’’underfished’’.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:17PM on page 4

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) Not fully exploited
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:14PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco, noting that this depends on the possibility to make all the relevant information available. If countries or regional fishery bodies agree to make all data and results available then both will be presented, otherwise only the results will be reported.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:09PM on page 3

Question
(MAR-COFI-FM) Data used or results obtained? thank you to specify
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in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:06PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco. The Secretariat informs that the peer-review process will be described in detail in an upcoming document on the Weight of Evidence Framework for Tier 3. The peer-review process will involve external experts relevant to the areas analyzed.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 2:01PM on page 3

Question
(MAR-COFI-FM) This approach is not clear: Who are the peer reviewers? What is the process exactly?
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in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 1:46PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with the comment from Morocco.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 1:41PM on page 3

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) Surplus production
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 1:35PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from Morocco, noting that the notion of not fully exploited is equivalent to underfished.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 1:30PM on page 3

Suggestion
(MAR-COFI-FM) CECAF adopts the notion of not fully exploited.
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in reply to WWF-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Jan 3 2024 at 12:57PM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the question from WWF. The Secretariat notes that currently approximately 50 percent of the stocks examined in Area 31, 34, 41 and 57 have no formal assessments. However, for the areas examined the current distribution of the percentage of overfished stocks under Tier 1 (with formal assessment) and 2 (without formal assessment but with catch data and good quality supplementary information) is similar, implying that the percentage of stocks without formal assessment has negligible effect on the results.
replies
in reply to BOBP-IGO-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 3:20PM on page 6

Answer
The Secretariat takes note of the suggestion of BOBP-IGO, however there are data confidentiality issues to resolve, which might be explored in the future together with FAO Members.
replies
in reply to BOBP-IGO-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 3:05PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with the comment from BOBP-IGO. The Secretariat remarks that FAO Statistics Division provide those trainings, and agrees to coordinate further activities in the future.
replies
in reply to BOBP-IGO-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:57PM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from BOBP-IGO. FAO is undertaking regional level capacity building initiatives. Due to limited funding, national level capacity programs will need to be undertaken later or under some projects like the BOBLME or GOTFISH LME projects.
replies
in reply to BOBP-IGO-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:49PM on page 1

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the positive comments from BOBP-IGO.
replies
in reply to RatthaninSangsayan's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:41PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat thanks Thailand for their suggestion, which will be addressed accordingly.
replies
in reply to RatthaninSangsayan's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:30PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat thanks Thailand for their suggestion, which will be addressed accordingly.
replies
in reply to RatthaninSangsayan's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:21PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat agrees and takes note of the comment from Thailand.
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in reply to RatthaninSangsayan's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 2:13PM on page 1

Answer
The Secretariate agrees and appreciates the comment from Thailand. FAO looks forward to continuing collaborating with Thailand and other countries in the region to produce the stock status categories.
replies
in reply to MSC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:57PM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with the suggestions of MSC. The Secretariat notes that this is an initial attempt to compile a new global stock list. With future iterations, FAO intends to align the status of the stocks with management effectiveness metrics, and thus understand how best to manage the aggerate or finer resolution stocks defined for this purpose. However, this is beyond the scope of the current undertaking. Lastly, the outcomes of applying this methodology to Tier 2 and 3 stocks should not be regarded as results to inform management.
replies
in reply to MSC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:49PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from MSC, noting that countries will eventually decide if such information is made public. FAO intents to show which species and stocks are used in the classification for a region, but countries will decide whether the classifications are also open to the public. However, for Tier 2 and 3, the evaluations should not be taken a the results of a stock assessment as they are meant for categorization only. Additional details will be provided in the technical paper to be released in 2025.
replies
in reply to MSC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:42PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with the comment from MSC; however, binary classifications will muddle the global and regional picture on state of the stocks. The Secretariat notes that FAO is trying to avoid this by only providing point estimates on the classifications, and then computing these alternatives with different hypothesis that would then provide alternative classifications. Through the regional expert consultations process, the most likely hypothesis has been chosen. Regional expert consultations have taken place in Area 324, 31, 41 and 57 for example.
replies
in reply to TNC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:30PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from The Nature Conservancy and confirms that the tiering system has been applied to the newly evaluated stocks in Fishing Areas 31, 34, 41 and 57. The Secretariat will provide all the information in the updated document planned to be released in 2025.
replies
in reply to TNC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:23PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from The Nature Conservancy and notes this difference. The Secretariat will evaluate the appropriate use of the “correct terminology” accordingly.
replies
in reply to TNC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 12:08PM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with the suggestion from TNC and looks forward to collaborating on these initiatives. FAO has been integral in terms of reviewing FISHPATH) and expects that such tools would help to manage fisheries and stocks better.
replies
in reply to TNC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 11:21AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from TNC. The current state of the ecosystem is implied in the productivity estimated to establish MSY; if this has changed the status can be reevaluated using dynamic reference points. However, intervention or timeseries analysis have not been used to do this currently as all process error is assumed to be random and not directional (if climate change were occurring the process error would have a temporal pattern).
replies
in reply to TNC-Observer's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 27 2023 at 11:10AM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with this comment of The Nature Conservancy and understands that this will help in climate change adaptation. However, this is ancillary to the Status of the Stocks work, and can be pursued at a later stage when the status of stocks can be related to fishing and/or environmental variables. The analysis suggested is beyond the scope of the current undertaking.
replies
in reply to COFI-FM Secretariat's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 12:22PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat agrees with Argentina on their suggestion to showcase improvements in the state of the stocks included in the reference list. The Secretariat acknowledges the significant management measures taken by Argentina and Uruguay to effectively improve the conditions of their stocks. However, it is beyond the scope of the current undertaking to track the improvement on the fine granularity suggested, which would demand excessive resources compromising the sustainability of the project in the long-term. The Secretariat remains available to collaborate with Argentina and other Members on those requests and do a subsequent analysis ancillary to the FAO Technical Paper “Status of the World Fishery Resources “, which will point to the particularities in the region.
replies

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 12:17PM on page 4

Suggestion
(ARG-COFI-FM) Argentina agradece a la FAO la revisión de la metodología y actualización de la lista de especies. Queremos hacer notar que el indicador simple, cantidad de stock en estado "sustentable" tiene limitaciones que el ejemplo mencionado en este párrafo pone en evidencia: modificaciones en las condiciones de los stocks no se ven reflejadas en un indicador binario. Hemos expresado varias veces, inclusive durante el taller convocado como experiencia piloto de aplicación de la nueva normativa, que no es posible representar el estado de los recursos de una región con un solo indicador. Es importante dimensionar la relevancia de los stocks evaluados sobre el total de las capturas, como así también la tendencia (por ejemplo creciente (hacia el MRS), decreciente, y otras), o si cuentan con medidas de manejo para su recuperación o están colapsados sin remedio. También se menciono la importancia de identificar situaciones particulares de las subregiones FAO, a sabiendas de la complejidad e incremento de la carga de trabajo para la evaluación, pero en algunas regiones resulta de enorme importancia que se señalen algunas diferencias. El informe SOFIA reviste una relevancia innegable para la imagen de una región pesquera, y por lo tanto no se deben ahorrar esfuerzos en mejorar su análisis y evaluación. Argentina ha demostrado su voluntad colaboradora con la iniciativa de la FAO, y esperamos poder seguir haciéndolo en pos de promover la pesca sustentable.
replies
in reply to NOR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 12:12PM on page 1

Answer
The Secretariat thanks Norway for this comment, which is duly noted FAO will continue to work to ensure the scientific integrity of the SOFIA report and to ensure on marine conservation and fisheries and aquaculture are based on evidence.
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in reply to NOR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 12:06PM on page 4

Answer
The Secretariat welcomes and takes note of the positive comment from Norway.
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in reply to NOR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 11:56AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat values the comment from Norway. The Secretariat would like to clarify that the processes and visual representations will include the use of infographics like the one show in SOFIA 2022 (pag 51) and other platforms as repository with user-friendly interactive applications to facilitate the reproducibility of the analysis and visualization of the results.
replies
in reply to NOR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 11:49AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates and takes note of the comment from Norway.
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in reply to NOR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 8:31AM on page 1

Answer
The Secretariat welcomes Norway comment and appreciates its support.
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in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 8:22AM on page 1

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the European Union positive comment and takes duly note.
replies
in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 8:06AM on page 2

Answer
The Secretariat welcomes the comment from the European Union, noting the intention to align these processes better. FAO has and will continue to do its own independent assessment of areas with RFMOs inputs. These methods might not align exactly due to the use of for example different reference points but should result in the same trends.
replies
in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 7:58AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates and takes note the comment of the European Union, which could be explored at a later stage once the updated methodology is fully implemented.
replies
in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 7:51AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from the European Union and confirms that the intention is to create an easily accessible repository with an interactive application to facilitate the visualization and analysis of the results Some pieces of this work can be seen in GIT where the transparent assessment framework will document the Tier 2 analysis and all assumptions, and results are clearly shown. Other pieces will be available over time.
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in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 1:18AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from the European Union. The Secretariat would like to refer to the answer to the previous comment from the European Union where the primary criteria has been listed. The Secretariat informs that the complete documentation is under preparation and will be ready in 2025 along with the release of the updated edition of the FAO Technical paper "The State of World Fishery Resources".
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in reply to EUR-COFI-FM's comment

COFI-FM Secretariat Dec 23 2023 at 1:09AM on page 3

Answer
The Secretariat appreciates the comment from the European Union. The Secretariat would like to inform that of the primary criteria of the Tier classification: Tier 3: Limited data and auxiliary info - use Expert judgement Stock status assigned, but little associated information. Some analysis, length data, CPUE, or qualitative assessment might be available. Criteria: catch/landings, abundance with < 25 years of data  status information with no reference source  status derived from qualitative methods data and statuses > 5 years old  Tier 2: Catch and auxiliary data - use surplus-production type models (SRA +) Stock has landings data, potentially an index of abundance to allow for a rapid assessment. These stocks may have a non-formal assessment. Mandatory criteria: at least 25 years of catch/landings most recent data within the last 5 years (2016/2017) Optional criteria: some abundance data within the same time frame Tier 1: Data rich- use Reported Assessment from country or regional fishery bodies A formal assessment has been performed and the results of this assessment are used to define stock status. Mandatory criteria: source reference to a stock assessment report The Secretariat clarifies that overfished and maximally sustainable fished are never linked in one category. Occasionally maximally sustainable fished and underfished have been reported together as sustainable.
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