Research plan for the exploratory longline fishery for Dissostichus spp. in 2015/16 in Division 58.4.4

Regarding the low levels of stocks of Dissostichus spp. and the high levels of IUU fishing, CCAMLR decided to close the fishery in 2002 in division 58.4.4. Since 2008 only one vessel, Shinsei maru No. 3, had conducted research fishing in accordance with a research plan submitted under CM 24-01. In 2014, WG-FSA agreed research fishing conducted in the research blocks C and D by two vessels using longlines: Shinsei Maru No. 3 (Japan) and the Saint André (France). For the season 2014/15, the catch limit for Dissostichus spp. is 25 tons for SSRU C and 35 tons for SSRU D. France notified its intention to achieve a robust stock assessment that would provide advice on a catch limit according to CCAMLR decision rules. This paper aims to present a research plan for 2015/2016 that takes into account the remarks made during the WG-FSA 2014. In SSRU 58.4.4D, tag recaptures are insufficient (the first tag recaptures were obtained in 2014), and consequently stock abundance (around 800 tonnes) has been estimated using the ‘CPUE seabed area analogy’ method. The biomass in division SSRU C was estimated during WG-FSA 2014 using a CASAL model constructed for D. eleginoides. The vulnerable biomass was estimated around 700 tonnes. CASAL model is updated with 2014 data but in the absence of an assessment using the CCAMLR decision rules, the catch limit should remain unchanged at 32 tonnes for 2015/16 to maximize the expectation of tag-recapture.