Member State report / Art9 / 2018 / D1-R / Mediterranean
| Report type | Member State report to Commission |
| MSFD Article | Art. 9 Determination of GES (and Art. 17 updates) |
| Report due | 2018-10-15 |
| GES Descriptor | D1 Reptiles |
| Region/subregion | Mediterranean |
| Reported by | Member state |
| Member state | United Kingdom |
Spain |
France |
Italy |
Malta |
Slovenia |
Croatia |
Greece |
Cyprus |
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| Member state report | ||||||||||
| Marine reporting units | MRUs used |
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| Structure, functions and processes of marine ecosystems: Species | Turtles |
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| GES description | D1 Reptiles |
The corresponding sea demarcation does not act as a sink for any of the source populations.
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| GES description | D1C1 Mortality rate from incidental by-catch |
G 1.1 Marine species listed in the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive and the SPA/BD Protocol to the Barcelona Convention maintain or attain favourable conservation status
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Levels of incidental by-catch of marine reptiles, marine mammals and seabirds do not result in declines in the population abundance of the representative species. |
The mortality rate per species from incidental by-catch is below levels which threaten the species, such that its long- term viability is ensured. |
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| GES description | D1C2 Population abundance (1.2, 1.2.1) |
G 1.1 Marine species listed in the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive and the SPA/BD Protocol to the Barcelona Convention maintain or attain favourable conservation status
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The population abundance of marine reptiles and marine mammals as listed in Annex IV to Directive 92/43/EEC is stable and not declining taking into consideration natural variation, and not smaller than Favourable Reference Population values where established under Directive 92/43/EEC. |
The population abundance of the species is not adversely affected due to anthropogenic pressures, such that its long-term viability is ensured. |
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| GES description | D1C3 Population demographic characteristics (1.3, 1.3.1) | The age structure, mortality and reproduction, as relevant for marine reptiles and marine mammals, are not deviating from normal. |
The population demographic characteristics (e.g. body size or age class structure, sex ratio, fecundity, and survival rates) of the species are indicative of a healthy population which is not adversely affected due to anthropogenic pressures. |
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| GES description | D1C4 Population distributional range and pattern (1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3) | The distributional range of marine reptiles and marine mammals as listed in Annex IV to Directive 92/43/EEC is stable and not declining taking into consideration natural variation, and not smaller than Favourable Reference Range values where established under Directive 92/43/EEC. |
The species distributional range and, where relevant, pattern is in line with prevailing physiographic, geographic and climatic conditions. |
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| GES description | D1C5 Habitat for the species | Area of the habitat of marine reptiles in Maltese waters is stable or increasing and habitat quality is suitable for the long-term survival of the species. |
The habitat for the species has the necessary extent and condition to support the different stages in the life history of the species. |
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| Justification for non-use of criterion | D1C1: [CoastalFish]: Criterion D1C1 not used, since not relevant for this species group, composed by selected species belonging to fish coastal communities of hard substrates, not subject to catches from industrial fisheries. No MS was informed about. D1C4: [Mammals and Reptiles]: Criterion D1C4 is considered irrelevant for the definition of GES of wideranging species such as cetaceans and marine turtles since their migratory nature leads to wide species home ranges whose eventual contraction cannot be detected in time periods relevant to identify trends D1C5: [Mammals and Reptiles]: Criterion D1C5 is difficult to assess given the species' migratory nature and wide home ranges. No MS was informed about. |
D1C1: Updated GES is not targeting non-commercial species of fish and cephalopods as per Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848, pending more data on by-catch as per Malta’s Work Plan for data collection in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors 2017-2019. D1C3: GES has been elaborated in relation to D1C3 for commercial cephalopods as follows: “The size distribution of commercially exploited species of fish and cephalopods, in comparison with long-term historical average, is indicative of healthy stocks. D1C4: GES in relation to D1C4 was only elaborated for marine reptiles and marine mammals as follows: “The distributional range of marine reptiles and marine mammals as listed in Annex IV to Directive 92/43/EEC is stable and not declining taking into consideration natural variation, and not smaller than Favourable Reference Range values where established under Directive 92/43/EEC”. This GES is not elaborated for fish species, since none of the species under consideration are listed in the Habitats Directive. D1C5: GES in relation to D1C5 has not been elaborated for marine mammals since the interaction of marine mammals with Maltese waters needs to be better defined. As indicated in D1C4, none of the fish species under consideration are listed in the Habitats Directive. |
D1: The GES definition is placed at the descriptor level according to the data currently available for the assessment of the situation and as such is fully relevant for specific groups of species.
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D1C1: None
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| Justification for delay in setting EU/regional requirements |
D1.3: Criterion D1C1: It is not possible to provide a threshold value for incidental capture caused by incidental capture, as it is not known what proportion of juveniles enters into the DM and therefore it is not possible to assess criterion D1C1.
Criterion D1C2: There is no model for estimating the load capacity for the species of turtles in question, which makes it impossible to give a threshold value for the population density. Criterion D1C3: Not assessed. Secondary. Criterion D1C4: Presence of the species in their potential area of potential distribution. assessed criterion. Criterion D1C5: It has not been possible to identify the characteristics that define the marine habitat of these species precisely despite the modelling efforts made, making it impossible to give a threshold value and to assess criterion D1C5. |
D1.3: None of the indicators are currently operational for the assessment of Descriptor 1 for any marine turtle species, due to the lack of threshold values and too patchy data, although some data are available that provide information on incidental catch mortality (D1C1), abundance (D1C2), and distribution (D1C4) of marine turtles. The methodological standards associated with the D1 criteria will be specified following further studies, as provided for in Ministerial Order 2019 on the definition of good environmental status of marine waters. The summary of the assessment is available via this link: https://doi.org/10.13155/60198
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D1C2: None
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