عنوان

GCP/RER/010/ITA/MSM-22 (MedSudMed Technical Documents n°22)
Report of the workshop on octopus stocks and related fisheries in the MedSudMed Project area

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The Workshop on “Octopus stocks and related fisheries in the MedSudMed Project area” (Salammbô, Tunisia, 18-20 November 2008) was attended by experts from Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia. The main objectives of the workshop were: i) to synthesise and compare the existing knowledge on the biology and distribution of O. vulgaris; ii) to identify the gaps to be filled for the identification of O. vulgaris populations units; iii) to prepare a work plan in order to verify if the population units of O. vulgaris belong to shared stock(s); and iv) to contribute to identifying the Operational Units targeting O. vulgaris in the Project area. Ten presentations were given on biological aspects, distribution and exploitation (including socio-economic aspects) of O. vulgaris in the MedSudMed area. The differences and similarities of biological features, exploitation, market and fisheries regulations among countries in the Project area were also pointed out. A joint exercise to identify the fleet segments targeting O. vulgaris in the area was carried out. The gaps to be filled in order to identify population units for O. vulgaris and to provide a detailed description of the Ous targeting this species in the MedSudMed area were listed and the outline of a work plan to fill these gaps was agreed upon. Two main thematic areas were identified: i) tentative identification of nursery and spawning areas along the Tunisian coasts by processing available surveys data, ii) genetic studies to compare population units. Moreover, a further field of interest was discussed: the collection of data for the proper identification of Ous targeting O. vulgaris.