OpenLegislation

Appendix XIII

United Kingdom

Definition of environmental indicators to measure the effects of fisheries on the marine ecosystem

Code specification	Indicator^f1	Definition	Data required	Precision level
See Commission Staff Working Document (SEC 2008/449) for specification and calculation of the indicators.
1	Conservation status of fish species	Indicator of biodiversity to be used for synthesising, assessing and reporting trends in the biodiversity of vulnerable fish species	Species, length and abundance from fisheries-independent research survey(s) for relevant marine region. Accurate reporting of these indicators requires that all species that contribute to the indicator are consistently and reliably identified. Survey catches shall be fully sorted (not sub-sampled) to ensure that all individuals of every species that contributes to the indicator are recorded but sub sampling is allowed in length measurements where duly justified.	Research survey should cover largest proportion of the marine region over the longest available time period. The indicator would be survey specific. The methods require that surveys are conducted annually in the same area with a standard gear.
2	Proportion of large fish	Indicator for the proportion of large fish by weight in the assemblage, reflecting the size structure and life history composition of the fish community.
3	Mean maximum length of fishes	Indicator for the life history composition of the fish community
4	Size at maturation of exploited fish species	Indicator of the potential ‘genetic effects’ on a population	Individual measurements of age, length, sex and maturity from fisheries-independent research survey(s) for relevant marine region.	At least 100 individuals per age class but more fish will improve the power of this indicator.
5	Distribution of fishing activities	Indicator of the spatial extent of fishing activity. It would be reported in conjunction with the indicator for ‘Aggregation of fishing activity’.	Position and vessel registration data based on VMS Available within two months of position reports being received, with all positions linked to the level 6 for the metier classification (see Appendix IV (1-5)). This does not include vessels below 15 m.	Preference for position reports every half hour.
6	Aggregation of fishing activities	Indicator of the extent to which fishing activity is aggregated. It would be reported in conjunction with the indicator for ‘Distribution of fishing activity’.
7	Areas not impacted by mobile bottom gears	Indicator of the area of seabed that has not been impacted by mobile bottom fishing gears in the last year. It responds to changes in the distribution of bottom fishing activity resulting from catch controls, effort controls or technical measures (including MPA established in support of conservation legislation) and to the development of any other human activities that displace fishing activity (e.g. wind farms).
8	Discarding rates of commercially exploited species	Indicator of the rate of discarding of commercially exploited species in relation to landings.	Species, length and abundance of catches and discards based on respectively logbooks and observer trips processed separately. Data linked to the level 6 for the metier classification (see Appendix IV (1-5)).	As specified in this Community Programme for discards
9	Fuel efficiency of fish capture	Indicator of the relationship between fuel consumption and the value of landed catch. It will provide information on trends in the fuel efficiency of different fisheries.	Value of landings and cost of fuel. Value calculated as the product of landings by species and prices. Cost of fuel as defined in this Community Programme. The indicator should be calculated for each metier based on the level 6 for the metier classification (see Appendix IV (1-5)) by region, quarter and year.	As specified in this Community Programme.

Annotations

Footnotes

f1: See Commission Staff Working Document (SEC 2008/449) for specification and calculation of the indicators.