The Commission for the Conservation Southern Bluefin Tuna collects a variety of data types from its Members and Cooperating Non-Members, including total catch, catch and effort data, and catch at size data. Catch, size and trade information is also collected through the Commission's Catch Documentation Scheme, Japanese import statistics, and other monitoring programs. Annual catches provided on this page are reported on a calendar year basis. CCSBT Members use quota years (not calendar years) for managing catching limits, but quota years differ between Members, so calendar years are used to provide catches on a common timescale. Relevant subsets and summaries of these data are provided below. All figures are subject to change as improved data or estimates become available. In particular, reviews of SBT data in 2006 indicated that southern bluefin tuna catches may have been substantially under-reported over the previous 10-20 years and the data presented here do not include estimates for this unreported catch. Also, data for the last reported year of catch (2020) are preliminary and are subject to revision. Any latitudes and longitudes presented in these summaries represent the north western corner of the relevant grid, which is a 5*5 grid unless otherwise specified. Other information on Members and Cooperating Non-Members fishing activities appears in the reports of the Extended Scientific Committee, Compliance Committee and Extended Commission.

Particularly suited to the purpose of measuring the sensitivity of benthic communities to trawling, a trawl disturbance indicator (de Juan and Demestre, 2012, de Juan et al. 2009) was proposed based on benthic species life history traits to evaluate the sensibility of mega- and epifaunal community to fishing pressure known to have a physical impact on the seafloor (such as dredging and bottom trawling). The selected biological traits were chosen as they determine vulnerability to trawling: mobility, fragility, position on substrata, average size and feeding mode that can easily be related to the fragility, recoverability and vulnerability ecological concepts. Life history traits of species have been defined from the BIOTIC database (MARLIN, 2014) and from information given by Le Pape et al. (2007), Brindamour et al. (2009) and Garcia (2010). For missing life history traits, additional information from literature has been considered. The five categories retained are life history functional traits that were selected based on the knowledge of the response of benthic taxa to trawling disturbance (de Juan and Demestre, 2012). They reflect respectively the possibility to avoid direct gear impact, to benefit from trawling for feeding, to escape gear, to get caught by the net and to resist trawling/dredging action, each of these characteristics being either advantageous or sensitive to trawling. Then, to allow quantitative analysis, a score was assigned to each category: from low vulnerability (0) to high vulnerability (3). The five categories scores were then summed for each taxon (the highly vulnerable taxon could reach the maximum score is 15) and this value may be considered as a species index of sensitivity to trawling disturbance. The scores of 773 taxa commonly found in bottom trawl by-catch in the southern North Sea, English Channel and north-western Mediterranean were described.

The SOMLIT-Antioche observation station, located at 5 nautical miles from Chef de Baie harbor (La Rochelle) is part of the French monitoring network SOMLIT (https://www.somlit.fr/), accredited by the INSU-CNRS as a national Earth Science Observatory (Service National d’Observation : SNO), which comprises 12 observation stations distributed throughout France in coastal locations. It aims to detect long-term changes  of these ecosystems under both natural and anthropogenic forcings. SOMLIT is part of the national research infrastructure for coastal ocean observation ILICO (https://www.ir-ilico.fr/?PagePrincipale&lang=en). The SOMLIT-Antioche station (46.0842 °N, 1.30833 °W) is located in the north-eastern part of the Bay of Biscay, halfway between the islands of Ré and Oléron, at the centre of what is commonly known as the Pertuis Charentais area, which correspond to a semi-enclosed shallow basin and includes four islands (Ré, Oléron, Aix and Madame) and three Pertuis (i.e., detroit) (Breton, Antioche and Maumusson). This 40m-deep site, with muddy to sandy marine bottoms, is submitted to a macro-tidal regime and is largely open to the prevailing westerly swells. It remains under a dominant oceanic/neritic influence, even though its winter/spring hydrological context is influenced by the diluted plumes of the Charente, Gironde and Loire rivers, but not by those of too small estuaries (Lay, Seudre and Sèvre Niortaise). SOMLIT-Antioche hydrological monitoring has been carried out by the LIENSs/OASU laboratory on a fortnightly basis since June 2011. Surface water samples are collected  at high-tide during intermediate tides (70 ± 10 in SHOM units) on board the research  vessel ‘L’Estran’ owned by La Rochelle University. Samples are analyzed for more than 16 core parameters: temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, silicates, suspended matter, particulate organic carbone, particulate organic nitrogen, chlorophyll, delta15N, delta13C; pico- and nano- plankton. Measurements are carried out in accordance with the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard. Simultaneous monitoring of the micro-phytoplankton community (since 2013, SNO PHYTOBS: https://www.phytobs.fr/en) and monitoring of prokaryotic communities (Bacteria and Archaea) are also carried out on a monthly basis. Since 2019, seasonal observations of benthic invertebrate communities (SNO BenthObs : https://www.benthobs.fr/) have also been carried out. This monitoring is complementary to that carried out at hydrological stations in the pre-existing REPHY and DCE networks, some of which are located near marine farming areas (oyster and mussel farms).

The willingness to pay (WTP) of people to protect animal populations can be used as a tool for these populations’ conservation. The WTP reflects the non-use value of animals, which can be significant for charismatic species. This value can be used as an economic criterion for decision-makers in order to recommend protective measures. The definition of the WTP to protect a species is challenging, as valuation methods are time-consuming and expensive. To overcome these limitations, we built a benefit transfer function based on 112 valuation studies and apply it to 440 Mediterranean marine species. We extracted these species from the IUCN database and retrieved some required parameters from, amongst others, the FishBase database. Marine mammals appear to have the highest WTP value followed in order by sea turtles, sharks and rays, and ray-finned fishes. Commercial fish species appear to have the highest values amongst the fish class.

The SOMLIT-SOGIR time-series data characterize the hydrology of the Gironde Estuary ecosystem, located in the South-western France and flowing into the Bay of Biscay. Monthly-like measurements have been undertaken since 1997 by the OASU and EPOC teams (Univ. Bordeaux/CNRS). The SOMLIT-SOGIR time series is a part of the French monitoring network SOMLIT (https://www.somlit.fr/), labelled by the CNRS as a national Earth Science Observatory (Service National d’Observation : SNO). It aims to detect the long-term evolution of monitored ecosystems including both natural and anthropogenic forcings. Implemented at three sites (PK 30: 45.06833°N, 0.63833°W; PK 52: 45.24667°N, 0.725°W; PK 86:  45.5167°N, 0.95°W), the SOMLIT-SOGIR time series is among the oldest long-term coastal observation time series of the French Research Infrastructure dedicated to coastal ocean observations (RI ILICO, https://www.ir-ilico.fr). SOMLIT-SOGIR samples are collected at 1m below the water surface and 1m above the floor, at high and low tide, during slack water. Samples collected are analysed for 15 core parameters: water temperature and salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicic acid, suspended particulate matter, particulate organic carbone, particulate nitrogen, chlorophyll a, delta15N and delta13C. CTD-PAR-profile is also performed at site PK86 during high tide. The SOMLIT network quality management system is in line with the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard: “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”. Further information on standard operating procedures for sample collection and data acquisition are available at: https://www.somlit.fr/parametres-et-protocoles. For more information on the quality flagging scheme: https://www.somlit.fr/codes-qualite/.

The Argo program provides an unprecedented volume of oceanographic data, yet the complexity of its dataset — involving multiple data modes, quality control flags, and metadata conventions — often hinders its direct usage. The EasyOneArgo initiative addresses this challenge by delivering simplified, high-quality subsets of Argo data, specifically designed to streamline user access and integration. The EasyOneArgo data product is comprised of 4 datasets: - EasyOneArgoTS – A curated selection of temperature-salinity profiles filtered by strict quality criteria and optimized across raw, real-time adjusted, and delayed-mode status. - EasyOneArgoTSLite – The vertically interpolated counterpart of EasyOneArgoTS, with standardized pressure levels between 2 and 6000 dbar. - EasyOneArgoBGC – A curated selection of biogeochemical profiles filtered by strict quality criteria. The BGC parameters include DOXY, NITRATE, PH, CHLA, BBP, and various radiometry parameters. All BGC data are adjusted either in real-time or in delayed-mode. Accompanying TS measurements are also included. - EasyOneArgoBGCLite – The vertically interpolated counterpart of EasyOneArgoBGC, with the same standardized pressure levels as EasyOneArgoTSLite. Note: The BGC vertical interpolation process involves pre-filtering the original data before interpolation. Hence the magnitudes of some of the features are modulated in the BGCLite dataset. Each profile in EasyOneArgo is packaged as a standalone CSV file, with metadata and indexes for seamless retrieval. This work represents a user-centric shift in Argo data delivery: no QC flags, no data modes, no data manuals — just good, clean, structured ocean data ready for immediate scientific application. The EasyOneArgo data product is publicly available through monthly FAIR-compliant releases. We invite community feedback for continued refinement. Please send any comments to Annie Wong (apsw.uw@gmail.com) or Thierry Carval (Thierry.Carval@ifremer.fr).

The general objective of the PEACETIME cruise is to study the fundamental processes and their interactions at the ocean-atmosphere interface, occurring after atmospheric deposition (especially Saharan dust) in the Mediterranean Sea, and how these processes impact the functioning of the pelagic ecosystem. During the proposed 33 days cruise in the western and central Mediterranean Sea in May 2017, we will study the impact of atmospheric deposition on the cycles of chemical elements, on marine biogeochemical processes and fluxes, on marine aerosols emission and how ongoing changes will impact the functioning of Mediterranean Sea communities in the future. The cruise is designed to explore a variety of oligotrophic regimes. Combining in situ observations both in the atmosphere and the ocean, and in situ and minicosm-based on-board process studies, the 40 embarking scientists from atmosphere and ocean sciences will characterize the chemical, biological and physical/optical properties of both the atmosphere and the sea-surface microlayer, mixed layer and deeper waters. The PEACETIME strategy (season and cruise track) associated to a combination of dust transport forecasting tools and near real-time satellite remote sensing is designed to maximize the probability to catch a Saharan dust deposition event in a stratified water column in order to follow the associated processes in-situ. This coordinated multidisciplinary effort will allow us to fill the current weaknesses/lacks in our knowledge of atmospheric deposition impact in the ocean and feedbacks to the atmosphere in such oligotrophic systems. As a key joint-project between MERMEX and CHARMEX : The PEACETIME project comes in the scope of the regional multidisciplinaryprogramme MISTRALS (Mediterranean Integrated STudies at Regional And Local Scales ), which aims at predicting the evolution of this region following strong expected changes in climate and human pressures. In this framework, the PEACETIME project constitutes a key joint project between the ChArMEx (the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment) and MERMEx (Marine Ecosystems Response in the Mediterranean Experiment) initiatives, enabling to gather communities of atmospheric chemists and marine biogeochemists around the common question of assessing the impact of atmospheric deposition on the marine biogeochemical processes and air-sea exchanges.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide biodiversity conservation benefits in a range of marine habitats. Many protected areas are established and governed through top-down or shared governance arrangements, yet little is known about how these governance strategies compare in terms of the protection benefits they provide to MPAs globally. Using an extensive data set of MPA conditions, we developed a set of Bayesian hierarchical models to understand the role of shared governance versus federal governance on reef fish biomass from 218 global MPAs. We find greater reef fish biomass benefits in MPAs with shared governance than with top-down, or federal arrangements. We also find greater benefits in older MPAs and MPAs farther away from shore. Our results highlight the fundamental importance of multi-stakeholder participation for improving conservation outcomes, representing an important conservation opportunity for new or existing MPAs. 

These data are outputs of a spatio-temporal model inferring fish distribution. The maps are based on high-resolution catch data (VMS-logbook). They have a montly time resolution and a 0.05° spatial resolution. Four demersal species of the Bay of Biscay are available in the dataset: common sole (Solea solea), megrim (Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis), anglerfish (Lophius spp) and thornback ray (Raja clavata). Maps are provided for year 2008 to 2018 ; they were produced in the context of the MACCO project (https://www.macco.fr/en/accueil-english/), an Ifremer project that aims at proposing alternative management strategies for the mixed demersal fisheries of the Bay of Biscay.