The purpose of ISTAM's coordination actions is to support, in methodological terms, the national and sub-regional government institutions dealing with fisheries management in their efforts of planning systems for monitoring, data processing, resource evaluation and the dissemination of information on the status of fish resources. The ISTAM project concerns the coordination of scientific activities ensuring the methodological reinforcement of information systems and more generally of monitoring and assessment instruments namely:

• The improvement of the quality and of the quantity of data used as the basis for stock assessments.

• The harmonisation, in the general perspective of fisheries management, of stock assessments by promoting the use of the most suitable and best controlled assessment methods at appropriate geographical scales 

• The improvement of the availability of validated and referenced datasets

• Dialogue for the identification of future research needs for improving the information that supports fisheries management 

ISTAM Working Packages

The project is broken down into six "WorkPackages"(WP). Each partner will be considered as a leader of the WP which he was assigned to and will therefore be  responsible for its management. The first WP deals wit the project coordination activity. The others deal with the project's technical and scientific aspects.We suggest that some WPs should have two joint leaders in order to increase communication between the members of the project. They will ensure that the minutes and agendas of meetings are prepared and delivered on time.

• WP0: Project management


• WP1: Monitoring systems (National level)


• WP2: Subregional information systems


• WP3: Stock assessment methods and analytical tools


• WP4: Training activities


• WP5: Dissemination