Meeting report
Heraklion, 05th February 1997

A Medits Steering Committee met in Heraklion on the 05 February 1997 with the participants named below:

The chairman welcomed the participants and made the apologies for some colleagues, particularly from Italy and the Balkan countries, who intended to participate but were unable to join the meeting.

The meeting progressed on the agenda presented below.

The co-ordinator informed the Committee that the common Medits 96 report has been sent to the EC-DGXIV in time, owing to the effective contribution of all the participants. A copy of this report has been sent to each of the Steering committee members.

He reminded that a new call for proposals for studies should be published by the EC-DGXIV this year, between February and April.

As recommended by the Working Group on selectivity and efficiency of the Medits gear, a survey has been conducted in January 1997, addressed to the co-ordinators of the sampling vessels. The results of this survey have been analysed by a sub-group of technologists who formulated recommendations to be included in the protocols for 1997 (cf. report in Annex I). These proposals have been analysed by the present Steering committee (SC). This committee adopted all the recommendations of the sub-group, as formulated in its report. Furthermore, it invited the technologists to consider the test made by one team to substitute the weighting chain by lead on the footrope. It would appreciate if the effects of this kind of modification could be studied during a next technological campaign.

At the end of the Medits 96 survey, some teams have asked for the addition of new species codes in the FM list. All the new codes found in the Medits 96 data files are presented in the annexe II. Some but not all the teams have jointed information related to their new codes (scientific name, source and reference). To complete the FM list before the next survey, each of the teams who have introduced new codes is invited to send to A. Souplet (IFREMER-Sète) these references as soon as possible.

For the next survey, it is decided to introduce the following modifications in the reference list of the main " thirty " species for which individual lengths are given by sex and maturity: elimination of Pagrus pagrus (very rare in the samples analysed during the previous years) and addition of Eledone moschata.

The following timetable is foreseen for the survey:

During the last few years, the SC incited the teams to organise exchanges of scientists on board of the vessels used for the survey. This recommendation is maintained for this survey. Actually, the Committee considered that these exchanges are yet important to favour the homogenization of the work at sea. Furthermore, according to budget possibility, stays of scientists in partner laboratories could be managed for common analysis of the Medits data.

The committee discussed on the characteristics of the final report of the contract. It is obvious that this report will include all the basic data obtained during these two years (1996 and 1997), as it has been done for the previous ones. The committee considered that it would be also useful to include a global presentation of the results obtained during the four common surveys (1994 to 1997). As well, it will be necessary to clearly identify the species for which detailed length frequency distribution will be presented for each of the subareas.

The committee noted that all these questions should be finalized during the next SC meeting (25 May 1997). The SC members were invited to make proposals on that for this next meeting.

The Working Group on the Medits Data base met in Athens on 2-3 February 1997. The provisional report of this meeting was available for the present SC meeting (Annex III). It was presented to the committee by his chair, A. Souplet, who pointed out the questions put by the group to the SC.

1) The SC recognized the arguments presented by the group to include in the planed software a procedure to input the data. But the SC underlined that an investment has been done inside the Medits programme during the last few years for a system with this goal. It seems that the tools made in this way are yet usable. So, it considered that the building of a new software on that topic has not a high priority for the time being.

2) The SC agreed to introduce in the data base files with the lists of the scientists on board (cf. boarding tables) and data environment parameters (salinity and temperature) when available.

3) Concerning the species coding, the SC decided to maintain the concept of the FM list to input the Medits data in the files and in the exchange formats. Nevertheless, it maintained the proposal for the building of an interface with a coding table more universal and agreed by the scientific community. The chair of the data base group was invited to make proposals on that aim.

3) The SC agreed with the proposal to develop the specific software under Paradox and to create an executable file to be operated on PC computers.

4) Concerning the standard output, the project team was invited to show its models, for adoption by the SC, before starting the data processing developments. It was also requested to propose standard forms to present basic information on the contains of the files (number of hauls, of species, by stratum, etc.)

The SC has been informed of the warning sent by the Commission (letter from A. Laurec) concerning the relationship between the Medits and the Figis programmes. The risk of overlapping between the Medits data base project and Figis has been considered with a particular attention. The chairman of the Medits data base group presented to the SC a project for an answer by C.Y. Politou, as co-ordinator of the Data base project, to present the limits and the complements of the two approaches. After a few modifications, this project has been agreed by the SC and C.Y Politou was invited to achieve this letter.

To improve the relationship between the two programmes, the SC decided to invite G. Le Corre, as co-ordinator of the Figis programme, to present the progress of this programme at the next Medits SC meeting (May 1997).

For the time being, some projects for particular analysis of the Medits data have been identified on the following topics:

This list is not restrictive, but it is open to new proposals. It is anticipated that the results of these works should be available early in 1998 to be presented in the Medits symposium.

The co-ordinator reminded that he has been holding the co-ordination of the programme for four years (till the end of 1997). He invited the SC to think about the renewal of the co-ordinator for the next contract. The SC unanimously asked J. Bertrand to continue to assume this office.

The SC decided that the symposium on " Assessment of demersal resources by direct methods in the Mediterranean and adjacent seas " will take place in Pisa the 19-21st March 1998. The general co-ordinator was invited to approach the Commission to assess the possibility of funding for this meeting.

The terms of reference for this symposium will be prepared by the members of the Medits Co-ordination Committee. It was noted that the first letter of information about this meeting should be prepared by the end of March 1997.

The next Medits SC will meet in Trani (Italy) the 25 May 1997, the day before the beginning of the SIBM congress.

The IMBC, and particularly G. Tserpes, was thanked for the quality of the accommodation provided to the group and the participants for their contribution to the work done during the meeting.

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