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The ICES Working
Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB)
was created in 1983. In 2002, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) joined with ICES to
co-sponsor the WGFTFB, giving the working group a
global mandate.
The directive of the WGFTFB is
to initiate and review investigations of scientists and technologists
concerned with all aspects of the design, planning and testing of fishing
gears used in abundance estimation, selective fishing gears used in by-catch
and discard reduction; and benign environmentally fishing gears and methods
used to reduce impact on bottom habitats and other non-target ecosystem
components, including behavioural, statistical and capture topics.
The Working Group's activities shall focus on all measurements and
observations pertaining to both scientific and commercial fishing gears,
design and statistical methods and operations including benthic impacts,
vessels and behaviour of fish in relation to fishing operations. The Working
Group shall provide advice on application of these techniques to aquatic ecologists,
assessment biologists, fishery managers and industry.
An historic review of ICES contribution to fishing technology, including the
formation of the WGFTFB, is provided in the report
by Walsh et al. (2000).
WGFTFB members and non-member participants are
nominated by their respective national ICES Delegates.
Scientists from any member
countries of ICES or from the research organizations having an observer
status can participate at WGFTFB meetings.
The Working Group holds an annual
meeting and along with the affiliated Working
Group on Fisheries Acoustics Science Technology (WGFAST),
and others, such as the Study Group on
Unaccounted Fishing Mortality and the Study Group on
Survey Trawl Standardisation.
It reports to the Fisheries Technology Committee
(FTC) at the ICES Annual Science Conference
that is held in the autumn.
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