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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The data preparation meeting for eastern Mediterranean demersal and small pelagic stocks was held at GFCM headquarters in Rome, Italy, in hybrid modality, on 17–20 October 2023. The meeting was attended by 15 participants from Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Palestine, and Türkiye, as well as from the Secretariat of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). The main objective of this meeting was to provide a platform to review, discuss and analyse input data for European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), sardine (Sardina pilchardus), round sardinella (Sardinella aurita), European hake (Merluccius merluccius), red mullet (Mullus barbatus) and lizardfish (Saurida lessepsianus) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in preparation for the WGSAD and WGSASP sessions to be held in December 2023. Information on the following stocks was presented and discussed: European anchovy in i) geographical subarea (GSA) 26 and ii) GSA 27 (Lebanon); round sardinella in iii) GSAs 24 and 27 (Lebanon) and iv) GSAs 26 and 27 (Palestine); red mullet in v) GSA 24 and vi) GSA 25; and vii) lizardfish in GSA 24. Data were reviewed, discussed, and analysed for the following stocks: goldband goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis) in viii) GSA 27 (Palestine) and ix) GSA 27 (Israel), x) threadfin bream (Nemipterus randalli) in GSA 27 (Israel); and xi) axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne) in GSA 27 (Lebanon). The data preparation meeting also functioned as a platform to discuss and reflect on the SAF assessment input data call and relative template and the roadmap for the determination of minimum conservation reference size for priority species under management plans endorsed by the twenty-fourth session of the SAC and the enhancement of data collection for small-scale fisheries to improve stock assessment and management of European hake stocks in the eastern Mediterranean.