SCRS/2001/050 ON THE REDUCTION OF JUVENILE SWORDFISH CATCHES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Di Natale 1 , A., J.M. De La Serna 2 , G. De Metrio 3 , V. Restrepo 4 , A. Srour 5 , and G. Tserpes 6 SUMMARY Taking into consideration the biology of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and the characteristics of Mediterranean fisheries that catch swordfish, a series of options for protecting juveniles are considered. RÉSUMÉ Compte tenu de la biologie de l’espadon (Xiphias gladius ) et des caractéristiques des pêcheries méditerranéennes qui ciblent cette espèce, une série d’options visant à protéger les juvéniles sont examinées. RESUMEN Teniendo en cuenta la biología del pez espada (Xiphias Gladius) y las características de las pesquerías mediterráneas que capturan pez espada, se consideran una serie de opciones para proteger a los juveniles. KEYWORDS Tuna fisheries; Fishery regulations; Fishery management 1. FOREWORD In 2000, the Commission instructed the SCRS to “report on possible measures to protect juvenile Mediterranean swordfish, taking into account the biological characteristics and the nature of the Mediterranean swordfish fisheries.” During 4-6 July 2001, the authors held an informal meeting in Madrid with the objective of studying the problem and possible solutions. The result of that meeting´s discussions is a proposed response to the Commission´s request, contained herein, which is intended to facilitate discussions by the SCRS in 2001. 2. PROPOSAL FOR A RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTION BY ICCAT ON JUVENILE MEDITERRANEAN SWORDFISH 2.1 Background In 2000, the Commission instructed the SCRS to “report on possible measures to protect juvenile Mediterranean swordfish, taking into account the biological characteristics and the nature of the Mediterranean swordfish fisheries.” [Res. 00-5]. This is a brief response to the Commission´s request. Further details can be found in document SCRS/2001/xxx. 1 (Meeting Chairman) Aquastudio. Via Trapani, 6, 98121 Messina, Italy. E-mail: aquauno@box1.tin.it. 2 Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Fuengirola, Spain. 3 University of Bari, Bari, Italy. 4 ICCAT, Madrid, Spain. 5 Institut National de Recherche Halieutique, Nador, Morocco. 6 Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, Iraklion, Greece.