For September 2003, the Scientific Council initiated its Special Session titled Workshop on Mapping and Geostatistical Methods for Fisheries Stock Assessment, as a specifi c topic of interest to the Scientific Council. The Council invited David Kulka (Canada) and Lisa Hendrickson (USA) to design and convene the workshop. It was suggested that the focus should be to provide a basic understanding of the geostatistical concepts and methods and tools that could be used by the Scientific Council in the context of stock assessments.

During 10–12 September 2003, the Scientific Council held the Special Session in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of NAFO, at the Holiday Inn in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. David Kulka (Canada) and Lisa Hendrickson (USA) were conveners, and Nicholas Bez (France), Reiner Schlitzer (EU – Germany), Jerry Black (Canada) and Mark Simpson (Canada) were invited instructors.

At its meeting of 15–19 September 2003, the Council noted the success of the Workshop and that the complete report will be published as SCS Doc 03/22. During the September 2004 many scientists proposed that the report should be published in the Scientific Council Studies series, and the Council intersessionally agreed to make this Studies publication. This publication endorses the success of the workshop and the possibilities opened to apply geostatistical analyses in stock assessments.