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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The seventh meeting of the Working Group of the Black Sea (WGBS) took place from 11 to 13 July 2018 in Burgas, Bulgaria. The meeting reviewed the work carried out during the 2017–2018 intersession in relation to stock assessment, management of selected fisheries, data collection, small-scale fisheries as well as work on the interactions between fisheries and the ecosystem. It also debated on capacity-building activities within the framework of the BlackSea4Fish project and on the outcomes of the first project steering committee meeting. The WGBS welcomed the establishment of the GFCM subregional technical unit for the Black Sea, inaugurated in Burgas on 30 May 2018.

The WGBS formulated advice on: i) the status of Black Sea stocks, with all main commercial stocks assessed being considered uncertain, overexploited or depleted;ii) the management of turbot, including assessment of management scenarios in reply to recommendations adopted by the Commission; iii) data collection and quality indicators; iv) research priorities in the context of the BlackSea4Fish project, including on rapa whelk and stock boundaries.

Finally, the WGBS agreed upon its work plan for 2018–2020 in support of mid-term strategy activities that would be coordinated, among others, through the BlackSea4Fish project. The WGBS also renewed the mandate of its bureau for an additional year.