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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The data preparation meeting for central Mediterranean stocks of the Working Group on Stock Assessment of Demersal Species (WGSAD) and the Working Group on Stock Assessment of Small Pelagic Species (WGSASP) was held at GFCM headquarters in Rome, Italy, in hybrid modality, on 17–20 October 2023. The meeting was attended by 19 experts from Italy, Libya, Tunisia and the GFCM Secretariat. The main objective of this meeting was to provide a platform to review, discuss and analyse input data for the assessment of demersal stocks in the Adriatic Sea in advance of the WGSAD session to be held in December 2023. Information on four demersal stocks and two pelagic stocks was presented and discussed: i) European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in geographical subareas (GSAs) 12–16; ii) red mullet (Mullus barbatus) in GSAs 12–14; iii) red mullet in GSA 16; iv) deep-water rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) in GSAs 12–16 and 20 West; and the two pelagic species – v) sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and vi) anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) – in GSAs 12–14. No stock assessment input data for the benchmark model updates of red mullet in GSA 15 were presented, nor for sardine and anchovy in GSA 16. For red mullet in GSA 15, it was noted that the data were not finalized in time for the data preparation meeting.