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.

M. J. Morgan, J. Burnett, J. Tomkiewicz, F. Saborido-Rey

The Scientific Council Special Session, the Symposium on Variations in Maturation, Growth, Condition and Spawning Biomass Production in Groundfish held at the Altis Hotel in Lisbon Portugal during 9--11 September 1998 in conjunction with the 20th NAFO Annual Meeting, resulted with the Scientific Council establishing the Working Group on Reproductive Potential. The Working Group (Chair E. Trippel) through its deliberations concerning fish stocks in the North Atlantic recommended to the Scientific Council that

i) a complete collection of scientific papers relating to the subject be peer reviewed and considered for publication in the Journal a/Northwest Atlantic Fishery Science,

and

ii) a compilation of available data for those stocks be published in the Scientific Council Studies.

The Scientific Council endorsed the recommendation, and this issue of the Scientific Council Studies series is dedicated to the compilation regarding the available data. Many members of the Working Group and scientists both within the Scientific Council circles and outside these circles have spent a great deal of time and effort collecting, collating and refining the information base. The comprehensive coverage achieved in this publication is timely and important for scientists dealing with fish stocks and stock complexes in the North Atlantic, particularly in the NAFO and ICES areas.

During 13-15 September 2000, the Scientific Council held the Special Session in conjunction with the 22nd Annual Meeting of NAFO, at the Boston Back Bay Hilton, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. D. Rivard (Canada) and C. Darby (EU-United Kingdom) were conveners, and R. K. Mayo (USA) played a key role in the preparation of the Workshop and the presentation of tutorials.

At its meeting of 18-22 September 2000, the Council evaluated this Workshop as a very informative and a valuable contribution to the work of the Scientific Council. While recommending that a workbook should be published in the Scientific Council Studies series. the Council noted the publication could constitute previously published information as well as public domain material. While there was a considerable time lapse in the preparation of the final texts and tutorials for this publication, the comprehensive coverage achieved in this publication is believed to be timely and important for scientists throughout the world dealing with stock assessments.