The Tenth Meeting of the MedSudMed Coordination Committee was attended by representatives from the countries participating in the Project (Italy, Libya, Malta and Tunisia), representatives of the Italian Donor (Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, MiPAAF), of the FAO GFCM Secretariat, of the FAO MedSudMed Project as well as of AdriaMed, CopeMed II and EastMed Projects. A brief remind was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. Mention was given that, according to the FAO rules, MedSudMed is subject of an FAO independent evaluation and all countries will be called to provide their contribution to the evaluation process. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given by all the members of the Coordination Committee. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

The Ninth Meeting of the MedSudMed Coordination Committee was attended by representatives of the Donor (Italy and Italian Regione Siciliana), delegations from the countries participating in the Project (Italy, Malta and Tunisia), representatives of the FAO GFCM Secretariat, the FAO-Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources Use and Conservation Division (FAO FIR), from the FAO AdriaMed Project as well as the Project Coordinator of CopeMed II and EastMed Projects. A brief remind was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

The Eighth Meeting of the MedSudMed Coordination Committee was attended by representatives of the Donor (Italy), delegations from the countries participating in the Project (Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta and Tunisia), representatives of the FAO GFCM Secretariat, the FAO Technical Backstopping Officer for regional Mediterranean Projects, the FAO Fisheries Resources Officer, from the FAO AdriaMed Project as well as the Project Coordinator of CopeMed II and EastMed Projects. A brief remind was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

The Seventh Meeting of the MedSudMed Coordination Committee was attended by representatives of the Donor (Italy), delegations from the countries participating in the Project (the Republics of Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta and Tunisia), Representatives of the GFCM Secretariat, the FAO Technical Backstopping Officer for regional Mediterranean Projects, the FAO Fisheries Resources Officer, an Officer from the FAO AdriaMed Project as well as the Project Coordinator of CopeMed II Project. A brief remind was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the four MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

The Sixth Meeting of the MedSudMed Coordination Committee was attended by representatives of the Donor (Italy), delegations from the countries participating in the Project (Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta and Tunisia), the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), and the Biostatistician of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), as well as the staff of the FAO MedSudMed Project. A brief remind was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the four MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

The Fifth Meeting of the Coordination Committee was attended by representatives of the Donor (Italy), delegations from the countries participating in the Project (Italy, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta and Tunisia), the Chief of the FAO Marine Resources Service (FIRM), the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the Executive Secretary and the Deputy Executive Secretary of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), a representative from the European Commission (EC) as well as the staff of the FAO MedSudMed Project. A brief reminder was made on the Project objectives and activities and a presentation of the activities implemented for the four MedSudMed components during the inter-session period was made. The proposed work plan for the next period was discussed and approved. It focuses on the same priorities of standardizing approaches, increasing scientific knowledge on fishery resources and ecosystems, strengthening national expertise and regional cooperation. A positive appraisal of the MedSudMed Project for supporting all the participating countries in the assessment and monitoring of the fisheries resources and for the good job carried out since the beginning was given. The belief that continuing the Project can only bring success and be beneficial for each of the participating countries was affirmed.

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.

This document describes the morphological and taxonomical characteristics of early life stages of bony fish collected during the MedSudMed ichtyoplankton survey which was carried out in Libyan waters on board the R/V Urania in August 2006. The survey and data processing were conducted in the framework of the MedSudMed Project and in cooperation between the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment of the National Council for the Research (Italy) and the Marine Biology Research Centre (Libya). The document is structured in order to provide the readers with the baseline knowledge for the identification of fish larvae found in the seas bordering the Libyan coasts. In particular, in Chapters 1 and 2 an introduction to the ecological relevance of ichtyoplankton and on the water mass circulation in Libyan waters are respectively reported, as well as a description of the materials and methods used to sample, store and identify fish larvae. Chapter 3 describes the criteria and technical background necessary for the species identification and the main morpho-biometric characteristics used to describe the fish larvae. In Chapter 4 a description of the larvae collected during the survey along the Libyan waters is provided according to a systematic classification. An overview of the references on this topic is also included in the document (Chapter 5).

The AdriaMed Workshop on inter-calibration of sardine otolith reading in the Adriatic Sea was organized in Split, Croatia from 28 to 29 June 2011. The Workshop was funded and organized by the project GCP/RER/010/ITA FAO AdriaMed “Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea” kindly hosted by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries of Split. Altogether twelve (12) scientists from five Adriatic countries and FAO staff participated. The Workshop listed and discussed on the main difficulties related to the sardine (Sardina pilchardus) otolith microstructure interpretation in the Adriatic Sea and identified a common protocol for readings between the research groups participating in the AdriaMed Project. The final outcome of the meeting consisted of revised agreed guidelines for the preparation and interpretation of sardine otoliths.

The AdriaMed Technical meeting on SoleMon survey activities was held in Ancona, Italy from the 16th to 20th of May 2011. The meeting was funded and organized by the project GCP/RER/010/ITA FAO AdriaMed “Scientific Cooperation to Support Responsible Fisheries in the Adriatic Sea” and kindly hosted by the Institute of Marine Science (ISMAR-CNR) of Ancona. Experts from Croatia, Italy and Slovenia participated to the meeting. The SoleMon survey achievements were presented, as well as the activities implemented in the framework of AdriaMed in the last six years to support SoleMon. Two general presentations were given concerning a description of the catch of the sampling stations carried out in Slovenia and about the first observation of an invasive species (Anadara inaequivalvis) in the area between the mid-line and the Croatian waters. The SoleMon work plan for the next period was discussed and agreed on. It focuses on the preparation of a detailed report summarizing the results of the SoleMon survey from 2005 to 2010; the discussion of the population abundance indices by age-group for sole in the northern Adriatic sea; the development of a standard procedure for mapping benthic fish and megabenthos and possible improvement of ATrIS. Discussion was held on the preparation of a manual to improve standardization of sampling protocols, and quality control aspects. During the meeting laboratory analyses of the megabenthos samples collected during 2007 and 2009 surveys were carried out in order also to prepare an international atlas of benthic fish and epifauna collected during SoleMon survey. A template of species fact sheets (including identification key, distribution maps, photo, ecological traits) was presented and discussed during the meeting. Finally a timetable of personnel to participate on board the R/V Dallaporta in November 2011 and the seventh SoleMon survey was outlined and agreed on.