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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Working Group on Red Coral (WGREDCORAL) was held online on 4–5 April 2024. In order to provide advice to the twenty-fifth Scientific Advisory Committee on Fisheries (SAC) in 2024 on Mediterranean red coral, the main objectives of the WGREDCORAL 2024 were to: i) provide and update the state of red coral fisheries up to 2022 (fishing effort, annual catch, percentage of undersized colonies, etc.); ii) discuss and take stock of the results of the most recent stock assessments on red coral validated by the Working Group on Stock Assessment of Demersal Species in December 2022 and 2023 and subsequent work; iii) review any new technical measures implemented in response to Recommendation GFCM/43/2019/4, by GFCM contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties, including national management plans (such as conservation, fleet management measures, control and enforcement measures); iv) review and discuss the results of the GFCM research programme (2020–2023) towards the management of the fishery and the conservation of red coral; and v) perform a qualitative appraisal of alternative management measures applicable to red coral. Despite the fragmented information made available through the Data Collection Reference Framework (e.g. average diameter of colonies and percentage of undersized colonies) and on the basis of the results of the validated red coral stock assessments available for three geographical subareas and the precautionary principle, the working group convened that populations of red coral in the Mediterranean could be in a situation of overexploitation with signals (decrease in the average size of colonies) in the main producer, where the mean diameter remained only at 1 mm above the minimum conservation reference size and the percentage in weight of undersized colonies at the threshold of 10 percent, while in one specific area it was found above the reference to trigger (25 percent) the closure of the fishery. Regarding the results of the GFCM Research programme, the working group was informed of all the conclusions of the actions carried out over the period 2020–2023, including potential additional measures identified for the long-term management plan. Based on this, the working group discussed the issues related to existing and additional measures as well as their possible implementation and potential development, drafting technical elements for management and a toolbox of measures for the consideration of the SAC in 2024.