22nd Regular Session of the Scientific Committee

SC22 will consider the scope and design of a mixed fishery monitoring framework, the adequacy of existing data systems to support cross-species evaluation, the identification of data gaps and capacity constraints.

• The mixed fishery monitoring strategy reflects the need to extend monitoring beyond single species approaches to support the broader harvest strategy framework in which multiple species are managed through interacting species-specific management procedures. It was highlighted that stock outcomes for species such as yellowfin and bigeye are influenced by the combined effects of different MPs, fisheries interactions, and activities outside direct management control, and therefore require coordinated monitoring across fleets, regions, and species. Key issues include tracking catch and effort across all relevant fisheries, including those outside MP control, improving data consistency and comparability, monitoring effort redistribution and behavioural changes, and ensuring that assumptions used in MSE remain valid under real-world conditions.