Views from Hamburg : the Juno Trader case or how to make sense of the coastal State's rights in the light of its duty of prompt release

Special edition: The United Nations and international legal order - the case of the Juno Trader - on 18 December 2004, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered the prompt release of a refrigerated cargo vessel and its cargo for fisheries violations in an exclusive economic zone - Tribunal unanimously decided that the vessel and cargo be released, upon posting of a bond in the form of a bank guarantee - crew should be free to leave without conditions - in this case, on prompt release, the Tribunal made valuable contributions to existing case law on the issue - shows that specialised tribunals may perform a decentralised application of the international rule of law - crystallises international fundamental standards of fairness and human rights.

Objective grading of the anterior eye

Purpose. To convert objective image analysis of anterior ocular surfaces into recognisable clinical grades, in order to provide a more sensitive and reliable equivalent to current subjective grading methods; a prospective, randomized study correlating clinical grading with digital image assessment. Methods. The possible range of clinical presentations Of bulbar and palpebral hyperaemia, palpebral roughness and corneal staining were represented by 4 sets of 10 images. The images were displayed in random order and graded by 50 clinicians using both subjective CCLRU and Efron grading scales. Previously validated objective image analysis was performed 3 times oil each of the 40 images. Digital measures included edge-detection and relative-coloration components. Step-wise regression analysis determined correlations between the average subjective grade and the objective image analysis measures. Results. Average subjective grades Could be predicted by a combination of the objective image analysis components. These digital ``grades'' accounted for between 69%, (for Efron scale-graded palpebral redness) and 98% (for Efron scale-graded bulbar hyperaemia) of the subjective variance. Conclusions. The results indicate that clinicians may use a combination of vessel areas and overall hue in their judgment of clinical severity for certain conditions. Objective grading call take these aspects into account, and be used to predict an average ``objective grade'' to be used by a clinician in describing the anterior eye. These measures are more sensitive and reliable than subjective grading while still utilizing familiar terminology, and can be applied in research or practice to improve the detection, and monitoring of ocular surface changes.

Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn nodules recovered from the VA04 expedition (R/V Valdivia) in the Pacific Ocean

Twenty-four manganese nodules from the surface of the sea floor and fifteen buried nodules were studied. With three exceptions, the nodules were collected from the area covered by Valdivia Cruise VA 04 some 1200 nautical miles southeast of Hawaii. Age determinations were made using the ionium method. In order to get a true reproduction of the activity distribution in the nodules, they were cut in half and placed for one month on nuclear emulsion plates to determine the alpha-activity of the ionium and its daughter products. Special methods of counting the alpha-tracks resolution to depth intervals of 0.125 mm. For the first time it was possible to resolve zones of rapid growth (impulse growth) with growth rates, s > 50 mm/106 yr and interruptions in growth. With few exceptions the average rate of growth of all nodules was surprisingly uniform at 4-9 mm/10 yr. No growth could be recognized radioactively in the buried nodules. One exceptional nodule has had recent impulse growth and, in the material formed, the ionium is not yet in equilibrium with its daughter products. Individual layers in one nodule from the Indian Ocean could be dated and an average time interval of t = 2600±400 yr was necessary to form one layer. The alternation between iron and manganese-rich parts of the nodules was made visible by colour differences resulting from special treatment of cut surfaces with HCl vapour. The zones of slow growth of one nodule are relatively enriched in iron. Earlier attempts to find paleomagnetic reversals in manganese nodules have been continued. Despite considerable improvement in areal resolution, reversals were not detected in the nodules studied. Comparisons of the surface structure, microstructure in section and the radiometric dating show that there are erosion surfaces and growth surfaces on the outer surfaces of the manganese nodules. The formation of cracks in the nodules was studied in particular. The model of age-dependent nodule shrinkage and cracking surprisingly indicates that the nodules break after exceeding a certain age and/or size. Consequently, the breaking apart of manganese nodules is a continuous process not of catastrophic or discontinuous origin. The microstructure of the nodules exhibits differences in the mechanism of accretion and accretion rate of material, shortly referred to as accretion form. Thus non-directional growth inside the nodules as well as a directional growth may be observed. Those nodules with large accretion forms have grown faster than smaller ones. Consequently, parallel layers indicate slow growth. The upper surfaces of the nodules, protruding into the bottom water appear to be more prone to growth disturbances than the lower surfaces, immersed in the sediment. Features of some nodules show, that as they develop, they neither turned nor rolled. Yet unknown is the mechanism that keeps the nodules at the surface during continuous sedimentation. All in all, the nodules remain the objects of their own distinctive problems. The hope of using them as a kind of history book still seems to be very remote.

Diatom abundance in surface sediments of the northern North Pacific

In order to map the modern distribution of diatoms and to establish a reliable reference data set for paleoenvironmental reconstruction in the northern North Pacific, a new data set including the relative abundance of diatom species preserved in a total of 422 surface sediments was generated, which covers a broad range of environmental variables characteristic of the subarctic North Pacific, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea between 30° and 70°N. The biogeographic distribution patterns as well as the preferences in sea surface temperature of 38 diatom species and species groups are documented. A Q-mode factor analysis yields a three-factor model representing assemblages associated with the Arctic, Subarctic and Subtropical water mass, indicating a close relationship between the diatom composition and the sea surface temperatures. The relative abundance pattern of 38 diatom species and species groups was statistically compared with nine environmental variables, i.e. the summer sea surface temperature and salinity, annual surface nutrient concentration (nitrate, phosphate, silicate), summer and winter mixed layer depth and summer and winter sea ice concentrations. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicates 32 species and species groups have strong correspondence with the pattern of summer sea surface temperature. In addition, the total diatom flux data compiled from ten sediment traps reveal that the seasonal signals preserved in the surface sediments are mostly from spring through autumn. This close relationship between diatom composition and the summer sea surface temperature will be useful in deriving a transfer function in the subarctic North Pacific for the quantitative paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental studies. The relative abundance of the sea-ice indicator diatoms Fragilariopsis cylindrus and F. oceanica of >20% in the diatom composition is used to represent the winter sea ice edge in the Bering Sea. The northern boundary of the distribution of F. doliolus in the open ocean is suggested to be an indicator of the Subarctic Front, while the abundance of Chaetoceros resting spores may indicate iron input from nearby continents and shelves and induced productivity events in the study area.

(Table 1) Age determination of Chukchi Sea sediments

Dinocysts from cores collected in the Chukchi Sea from the shelf edge to the lower slope were used to reconstruct changes in sea surface conditions and sea ice cover using modern analogue techniques. Holocene sequences have been recovered in a down-slope core (B15: 2135 m, 75°44'N, sedimentation rate of ~1 cm/kyr) and in a shelf core (P1: 201 m, 73°41'N, sedimentation rate of ~22 cm/kyr). The shelf record spanning about 8000 years suggests high-frequency centennial oscillations of sea surface conditions and a significant reduction of the sea ice at circa 6000 and 2500 calendar (cal) years B.P. The condensed offshore record (B15) reveals an early postglacial optimum with minimum sea ice cover prior to 12,000 cal years B.P., which corresponds to a terrestrial climate optimum in Bering Sea area. Dinocyst data indicate extensive sea ice cover (>10 months/yr) from 12,000 to 6000 cal years B.P. followed by a general trend of decreasing sea ice and increasing sea surface salinity conditions, superimposed on large-amplitude millennial-scale oscillations. In contrast, d18O data in mesopelagic foraminifers (Neogloboquadrina pachyderma) and benthic foraminifers (Cibicides wuellerstorfi) reveal maximum subsurface temperature and thus maximum inflow of the North Atlantic water around 8000 cal years B.P., followed by a trend toward cooling of the subsurface to bottom water masses. Sea-surface to subsurface conditions estimated from dinocysts and d18O data in foraminifers thus suggest a decoupling between the surface water layer and the intermediate North Atlantic water mass with the existence of a sharp halocline and a reverse thermocline, especially before 6000 years B.P. The overall data and sea ice reconstructions from core B15 are consistent with strong sea ice convergence in the western Arctic during the early Holocene as suggested on the basis of climate model experiments including sea ice dynamics, matching a higher inflow rate of North Atlantic Water.

Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn deposits from DSDP Hole 3-13 and Hole 3-15

The preliminary planning and approach to site 13 were taken from the JOIDES Atlantic Advisory Panel Report and from a previous detailed survey of the site by R/V Vema of the Lamont Geological Observatory. Several CSP profiles crossing the selected site in various directions show an uplifted portion of the sea floor roughly circular in shape of about 10 kilometers in diameter. In contrast to the smooth bottom of the surrounding abyssal plain, the topography of the small rise selected for the site has a small-scale roughness of amplitude of 40 to 80 meters. The work reported here is a biostratigraphic summary of available samples. Only the most important and biostratigraphically significant components of the faunas have been noted. No attempt has been made to give an exhaustive faunal analysis of the samples seen.

Fusarium solani is responsible for mass mortalities in nests of loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, in Boavista, Cape Verde

[EN] The fungus Fusarium solani (Mart.) Saccardo (1881) was found to be the cause of infections in the eggs of the sea turtle species Caretta caretta in Boavista Island, Cape Verde. Egg shells with early and severe symptoms of infection, as well as diseased embryos were sampled from infected nests. Twenty-five isolates with similar morphological characteristics were obtained. Their ITS rRNA gene sequences were similar to the GenBank sequences corresponding to F. solani and their maximum identity ranged from 95% to 100%.

Effects of trawling on sessile megabenthos in the Great Barrier Reef and evaluation of the efficacy of management strategies

A series of related research studies over 15 years assessed the effects of prawn trawling on sessile megabenthos in the Great Barrier Reef, to support management for sustainable use in the World Heritage Area. These large-scale studies estimated impacts on benthos (particularly removal rates per trawl pass), monitored subsequent recovery rates, measured natural dynamics of tagged megabenthos, mapped the regional distribution of seabed habitats and benthic species, and integrated these results in a dynamic modelling framework together with spatio-temporal fishery effort data and simulated management. Typical impact rates were between 5 and 25% per trawl, recovery times ranged from several years to several decades, and most sessile megabenthos were naturally distributed in areas where little or no trawling occurred and so had low exposure to trawling. The model simulated trawl impact and recovery on the mapped species distributions, and estimated the regional scale cumulative changes due to trawling as a time series of status for megabenthos species. The regional status of these taxa at time of greatest depletion ranged from ∼77% relative to pre-trawl abundance for the worst case species, having slow recovery with moderate exposure to trawling, to ∼97% for the least affected taxon. The model also evaluated the expected outcomes for sessile megabenthos in response to major management interventions implemented between 1999 and 2006, including closures, effort reductions, and protected areas. As a result of these interventions, all taxa were predicted to recover (by 2-14% at 2025); the most affected species having relatively greater recovery. Effort reductions made the biggest positive contributions to benthos status for all taxa, with closures making smaller contributions for some taxa. The results demonstrated that management actions have arrested and reversed previous unsustainable trends for all taxa assessed, and have led to a prawn trawl fishery with improved environmental sustainability. © 2015 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea 2015. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Report of the Workshop on Growth-increment Chronologies in Marine Fish: climate-ecosystem interactions in the North Atlantic 2 (WKGIC2). 18-22 April 2016 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain

Over the past several decades, thousands of otoliths, bivalve shells, and scales have been collected for the purposes of age determination and remain archived in European and North American fisheries laboratories. Advances in digital imaging and computer software combined with techniques developed by tree-ring scientists provide a means by which to extract additional levels of information in these calcified structures and generate annually resolved (one value per year), multidecadal time-series of population-level growth anomalies. Chemical and isotopic properties may also be extracted to provide additional information regarding the environmental conditions these organisms experienced.Given that they are exactly placed in time, chronologies can be directly compared to instrumental climate records, chronologies from other regions or species, or time-seriesof other biological phenomena. In this way, chronologies may be used to reconstruct historical ranges of environmental variability, identify climatic drivers of growth, establish linkages within and among species, and generate ecosystem-level indicators. Following the first workshop in Hamburg, Germany, in December 2014, the second workshop on Growth increment Chronologies in Marine Fish: climate-ecosystem interactions in the North Atlantic (WKGIC2) met at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies headquarters in Esporles, Spain, on 18–22 April 2016, chaired by Bryan Black (USA) and Christoph Stransky (Germany).Thirty-six participants from fifteen different countries attended. Objectives were to i) review the applications of chronologies developed from growth-increment widths in the hard parts (otoliths, shells, scales) of marine fish and bivalve species ii) review the fundamentals of crossdating and chronology development, iii) discuss assumptions and limitations of these approaches, iv) measure otolith growth-increment widths in image analysis software, v) learn software to statistically check increment dating accuracy, vi) generate a growth increment chronology and relate it to climate indices, and vii) initiate cooperative projects or training exercises to commence after the workshop.The workshop began with an overview of tree-ring techniques of chronology development, including a hands-on exercise in cross dating. Next, we discussed the applications of fish and bivalve biochronologies and the range of issues that could be addressed. We then reviewed key assumptions and limitations, especially those associated with short-lived species for which there are numerous and extensive otolith archives in European fisheries labs. Next, participants were provided with images of European plaice otoliths from the North Sea and taught to measure increment widths in image analysis software. Upon completion of measurements, techniques of chronology development were discussed and contrasted to those that have been applied for long-lived species. Plaice growth time-series were then related to environmental variability using the KNMI Climate Explorer. Finally, potential future collaborations and funding opportunities were discussed, and there was a clear desire to meet again to compare various statistical techniques for chronology development using a range existing fish, bivalve, and tree growth-increment datasets. Overall, we hope to increase the use of these techniques, and over the long term, develop networks of biochronologies for integrative analyses of ecosystem functioning and relationships to long-term climate variability and fishing pressure.

Report of the Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO). 16-18 March 2016 Olbia, Italy

The 42th meeting of the ICES Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) was held in Olbia, Italy, 16–18 March 2016, with Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi as host and Henn Ojaveer as chairperson. Representatives from 19 countries participated in the meeting. Attendants were from Belgium, Canada, Dennark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States. Sweden contributed by cor-respondence. The objectives of the meeting were to update information and discuss several aspects related to the introductions and transfers of non-indigenous aquatic species. Data and information management were two of the discussion topics of the meeting, with special focus on the better exploitation of the ‘Information system on aquatic non-indigenous and cryptogenic species’ (AquaNIS). The WGITMO also dedicated time for addressing the MSFD D2 issues: indicator on new non-indigenous species introduced by human activities, and opportunities and problems related to cross-regional comparison of non-indigenous species indicators. Preparation of the manuscript of the alert report on sea squirt Didemnum vexillum, which is to be published in ICES CRR series, was discussed and the steps to be taken to finalise the report were agreed. As usual, adequate time was devoted to discuss national reports, to exchange of information on the management of NIS and to review ongoing and planned research activities. The approach taken during the meeting facilitated presentations and discussions on the issues of relevance related to the Terms of References as well as on a few generic and strategically-important issues of general relevance to bioinvasions. The meeting began with a full-day joint meeting with the Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors (WGBOSV), which provided an opportunity to discuss and address issues of common interest, such as shipping and biofouling as introduction vectors. The proposed ICES demonstration advice on ‘Risk management of non-indigenous species associated with shipping in the Arctic’ was discussed, and edits were suggested for both the orientation of the demonstration advice as well as for the exact questions to be asked. Both working groups agreed that the practice of conducting back-to-back meetings with one joint day is useful and will continue in 2017. All Terms of References to be addressed for 2016 were discussed. For some Terms of Ref-erence, more detailed presentations were given, and a short overview of the information and subsequent discussion is provided herein at the end of each section. This report is structured so that each Term of Reference is dealt with in sequential order. The main body of the report contains summaries of the presentations and discussions with the more detailed documents being contained in the Annexes. WGITMO progressed each of the Terms of Reference by either completing the task or clearly identifying and agreeing on the inter-sessional activities required to still finalise the work in 2016. From 2017, WGITMO will be shifted to multi-annual management.

Decorative tiles between Brazil and Europe: the case of the Santa Catharina factory

Abstract It was in the first decade of the twentieth century that the first white china Factory was implemented in Brazil. Fruit of the association between the Sao Paulo Aristocracy and the Italian Romeo Ranzini, this factory was responsible for producing significant amounts of crockery in industrial moulds in sao Paulo, Brazil. It was also the first factory to produce decorative tiles that would be part of the architecture of the public buildings built between 1919 and 1922 in Commemoration of the Centennial of the Brazilian Independence. Known as The Santa Catharina Factory, this factory was inaugurated in 1913 with the participation of Italian immigrants and German technologies for the development of its first manufacturing activities. As a result of a number of economic, political and social matters that started in the previous century in the city of Sao Paulo, The Santa Catharina factory played an important role in industrial development as regards the production of national white china and was used as a model for the construction of new ceramic factories in Sao Paulo. After acquired by Matarazzo industries in 1927, had closed their activities in 1937. This research is based on the identification and analysis of the first tiles produced in Brazil by the Santa Catharina Factory, which were part of the architectural decorations of the buildings built in Sao Paulo to the celebration of the Centennial of the Brazilian Independence. Designed by Victor Dubugras, The Largo da Memoria (located in the city of Sao Paulo) and the buildings located in the "Paths of the Sea" road marked the beginning of Brazilian industrialization and the emergence of Neocolonial Movement in architecture of Sao Paulo. Studies of the first national patterns of decorative tiles approach a subject poorly researched by experts in tiled studies in Brazil, although in this case these tiles have represented not only an important milestone in the national industrialization, but also have demarcated the significant changes in architectural and decorative practices in the country in the early twentieth century; RESUMÈ: C'est durant la premiere decennie du XXe siecle que la premiere usine de porcelaine blanche fut implant& au Bresil. Elle fut le fruit de l'association entre l'aristocratie de Sao Paulo et l'italien Romeo Ranzini. L'usine produisait une quantite signifiante de porcelaine sur le territoire industriel de Sao Paulo. Ce fut egalement la premiere usine a produire des carreaux decoratifs qui sont aujourd'hui visibles dans l'architecture des batiments publics construit entre 1919 et 1922, pour la commemoration du centenaire de l'independance bresilienne. Connue sous le nom de Santa Catharina, cette usine fut inaugure en 1912. Elle fut construite par des émigrés Italiens, et utilisa pour la technologie allemande pour so production. En tant que resultat d'un certain nombre de questions economiques, politiques et sociales qui ont &butes durant le siecle precedent dans la ville de Sao Paulo, l'usine Santa Catharina a joue un role important dans le developpement industriel de la production de porcelaine blanche nationale et a ete utilise comme modele pour la construction de nouvelles usines de ceramique a Sao Paulo. Apres avoir ete achete par l'industrie Matarazzo en 1927, elle cessa ses activites en 1937. Cette recherche est basee sur l'identification et l'analyse des premiers carreaux decoratifs fabriques au Bresil par l'usine Santa Catharina, qui etait une partie des decorations architecturales des batiments construits a Sao Paulo pour la celebration du centenaire de l'Independance Bresilienne. Connue par Victor Dubugras, le "Largo da Memoria" (situe dans la ville de Sao Paulo), et les batiments situes sur le "Path of the Sea", ont marque le debut de l'industrialisation bresilienne et l'emergence d'un mouvement neocolonialiste dans l'architecture de Sao Paolo. L'etude des premiers modeles nationaux de carreaux decoratifs est un sujet peut etudie par les experts bresiliens, bien qu'ils furent un jalon importante pour l'industrialisation nationale. Its ont egalement entrains des changements importants dans les pratiques architecturales, et decoratives au sein du pays au XXe siecle. Mots-cles: Ceramique - carreaux decoratifs — L'usine Santa Catharina, Bresil - Production de carreaux; RIASSUNTO: Nel primo decennio del Novecento vide luce la prima fabbrica di ceramica di porcellana in Brasile. Frutto dell'associazione tra l'aristocrazia Paulista e l'italiano Romeo Ranzini, questa fabbrica fu responsabile della produzione di notevoli quantita di ceramica di porcellana mediante stampi industriali nella citta di San Paolo, Brasile. Fu anche la prima fabbrica a produrre azulejos che avrebbero poi fatto parte dell'architettura degli edifici pubblici costruiti tra it 1919 ed it 1922, per la commemorazione del Centenario dell'indipendenza Brasiliana. Conosciuta come Fabbrica di Santa Catharina, questa fu inaugurata nel 1913, con la partecipazione di immigrati italiani e con l'impiego di tecnologie tedesche per lo sviluppo delle sue prime attivita produttive. Risultato di una serie di cambiamenti economici, politici e sociali, che ebbero inizio nel secolo precedente nella citta di San Paolo, la Fabbrica di Santa Catharina svolse un ruolo importante nello sviluppo industriale per quanto riguarda la produzione di ceramica di porcellana nazionale e fu adottata come modello per la costruzione di nuove fabbriche a San Paolo. Successivamente, fu acquisita dalle industrie Matarazzo nel 1927, vedendo poi chiudersi le sue attivita nel 1937. Questa ricerca si basa sull'identificazione e l'analisi dei primi azulejos prodotti in Brasile dalla Fabbrica di Santa Catharina che fecero parte delle decorazioni architettoniche degli edifici costruiti a San Paolo per la commemorazione del Centenario dell'indipendenza Brasiliana. Progettati da Victor Dubugras, it Largo da Mem(Via (situato nella citta di San Paolo) e gli edifici che si trovano nei Caminhos do Mar marcarono l'inizio dell'industrializzazione brasiliana e la nascita del Movimento Neocolonial dell'architettura Paulista. Gli studi dei primi modelli di azulejos nazionali affrontano un argomento poco studiato dagli esperti in azulejaria in Brasile, nonostante rappresentino un importante avvenimento dell'industrializzazione nazionale, ma segnano anche i cambiamenti di significative pratiche architettoniche e decorative nel Paese nel primo Novecento. Parole chiave: Ceramica - porcellana - La fabbrica di Santa Catharina - Produzione di ceramica .

Report of the Stock Identification Methods Working Group (SIMWG) 2016

The Stock Identification Methods Working Group (SIMWG) worked by correspondence in 2016. The working group was chaired by Lisa Kerr (USA). The work plan for SIMWG in 2016 comprised four Terms of Reference (ToR), some of which are continuing goals for SIMWG: a ) Review recent advances in stock identification methods; b ) Build a reference database with updated information on known biological stocks for species of ICES interest; c ) Provide technical reviews and expert opinions on matters of stock identifica-tion, as requested by specific Working Groups and SCICOM; d ) Review and report on advances in mixed stock analysis, and assess their po-tential role in improving precision of stock assessment. ToR a) is an ongoing task of SIMWG in which we provide a comprehensive update on recent applications of stock identification techniques to ICES species of interest, summa-rize new approaches in stock identification, and novel combinations of existing applica-tions. ToR b) is a multi-annual ToR in which SIMWG has taking steps to build a reference data-base consisting of SIMWG reviews of issues of stock identity for ICES species. ToR c) is a key ongoing task by SIMWG in which we addresses specific requests by ICES working groups for technical advice on issues of stock identity. This year we provided advice on mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic as requested by WGWIDE. ToR d) is a multi-annual ToR that is focused on tracking developments in the application of mixed stock analysis and the integration of this information into assessment and management.

Report of the Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian waters Ecoregion (WGBIE). 13-19 May 2016, ICES HQ, Copenhagen, Denmark

The ICES Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberic waters Ecoregion (WGBIE) met in Copenhagen, Denmark during 13–14 May 2016. There were 22 stocks in its remit distributed from ICES Divisions 3.a–4.a though mostly distributed in Sub Areas 7, 8 and 9. There were 21 participants, some of whom joined the meeting re-motely. The group was tasked with conducting assessments of stock status for 22 stocks using analytical, forecast methods or trends indicators to provide catch forecasts for eight stocks and provide a first draft of the ICES advice for 2016 for fourteen stocks. For the remaining stocks, the group had to update catch information and indices of abundance where needed. Depending on the result of this update, namely if it would change the perception of the stock, the working group drafted new advice. Analytical assessments using age-structured models were conducted for the northern and southern stocks of megrim and the Bay of Biscay sole. The two hake stocks and one southern stock of anglerfish were assessed using models that allow the use of only length-structured data (no age data). A surplus-production model, without age or length structure, was used to assess the second southern stocks of anglerfish. No ana-lytical assessments have been provided for the northern stocks of anglerfish after 2006. This is mostly due to ageing problems and to an increase in discards in recent years, for which there is no reliable data at the stock level. The state of stocks for which no analytical assessment could be performed was inferred from examination of commer-cial LPUE or CPUE data and from survey information. Three nephrops stocks from the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian waters are scheduled for benchmark assessments in October 2016. The WGBIE meeting spent some time review-ing the progress towards the benchmark (see Annex 6) together with longer term benchmarks (2017 and after, see section 1.) for sea bass in the Bay of Biscay, all an-glerfish and hake stocks assessed by the WG. For the northern megrim stock, the sched-ule an inter-benchmark meeting was completed successfully and the group reviewed the outcome and accepted the category 1 update assessment. A recurrent issue significantly constrained the group’s ability to address the terms of reference this year. Despite an ICES data call with a deadline of six weeks before the meeting, data for several stocks were resubmitted during the meeting which lead to increased workloads during the working group, as in that case, the assessments could not be carried out in National Laboratories prior to the meeting as mentioned in the ToRs. This is an important matter of concerns for the group members. Section 1 of the report presents a summary by stock and discusses general issues. Sec-tion 2 provides descriptions of the relevant fishing fleets and surveys used in the as-sessment of the stocks. Sections 3–18 contains the single stock assessments.