The University of Caen Normandy will host the Working Group on “Cephalopods, Fisheries and Life History” of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES – WGCEPH) from June 24 to 27, 2025.
WGCEPH operates in disciplines such as cephalopod biology, ecology, fisheries, and assessment. This includes work on data compilation, monitoring of fishery trends, production of catch per unit effort (CPUE) data series, understanding of the dynamics of fleets targeting cephalopods, and evaluation of Data Collection Framework (DCF) effectiveness in sampling.
Cephalopods are important components of marine ecosystems as well as significant resources, especially for small-scale fisheries in Europe. Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the marine environment is defined as a precious heritage that must be protected, preserved and restored – with the ultimate aim being to maintain biodiversity and clean, healthy, and productive oceans. In this way, cephalopod biology, life history, and assessment have to be taken into account.
Jean-Paul Robin (MERSEA laboratory, FORSEAS team) is a member of this expert group, which he chaired from 2002 to 2004 and co-chaired from 2014 to 2019.
