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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first meeting of the Subregional Committee for the Western Mediterranean (SRC-WM) of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) was held in Tangier, Morocco, on 20 January 2017. The aims of the meeting were to: i) compile and discuss the status of western Mediterranean stocks based on the assessment provided by the Working Group on Stock Assessment of Demersal Species (WGSAD); ii) provide an advice on the management of blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in the Strait of Gibraltar, as requested by the Commission in Recommendation GFCM/33/2009/1; and iii) propose a list of activities of relevance to the subregion to be considered for the 2017–2019 SAC work plan. The SRC-WM compiled and discussed the status of western Mediterranean stocks and formulated guidance on the next steps towards the assessment of the status of blackspot seabream fisheries in the Strait of Gibraltar, based on the detailed information provided, giving technical elements for its management. In addition, the SRC-WM discussed the implementation of the subregional approach and welcomed the possibility of establishing a GFCM subregional office in the Central Mediterranean.