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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first session of the Working Group on Management Strategy Evaluation (WGMSE) on Blackspot Seabream was convened to advance the remedial measures for blackspot seabream management strategy evaluation (MSE), as adopted by the Subregional Committee for the Western Mediterranean in 2024. Session 1, a preparatory meeting on methods, was held from 11–13 November 2024 in Tangier at the National Institute of Fisheries Research. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) emphasized the use of MSE, where feasible, to assess the performance of alternative management strategies in achieving specific objectives outlined in recommendations or broader goals, such as restoring and maintaining stock populations above levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield. The meeting underscored the pivotal role of MSE in fisheries management and included a review of the stock assessment, which confirmed the critically depleted status of blackspot seabream. Moroccan and Spanish representatives highlighted the urgent need for coordinated actions to rebuild the stock and addressed uncertainties related to stock dynamics and fishing efficiency within management testing frameworks.