Ecopath International Initiative is a not-for-profit research organization based in Spain, focused on the contribution to the sustainability of living resources and ecosystems through the development, implementation, education and promotion of analytical tools and ecological modelling, with special emphasis on the use of modelling approach Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE). We closely collaborate with institutions in the fields of research, technology and education, in conjunction with the “Ecopath Research and Development Consortium”. EII participates in research projects and software developments with partner institutes across the globe, organizes ecosystem modelling courses, and coordinates user support and project development for the Ecopath Research and Development Consortium.

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Ecopath International Initiative

WP1 will create the necessary governance structure for effective, efficient and timely implementation and management of the EcoScope project by establishing the necessary procedures, facilitating the communication flow among partners and ensuring timely reporting to the European Commission (EC). The general aim is reached through specific objectives:
1. Ensuring that the project objectives and challenges are achieved, and deliverables/milestones are completed on time and within the proposed budget.
2. Facilitating communication among the Coordinator, the partners and the EC.
3. Ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to avoid or mitigate potential risks.
4. Identifying and resolving any potential conflicts among the partners and with external bodies.



Objectives

WP1 will create the necessary governance structure for effective, efficient and timely implementation and management of the EcoScope project by establishing the necessary procedures, facilitating the communication flow among partners and ensuring timely reporting to the European Commission (EC). The general aim is reached through specific objectives:
1. Ensuring that the project objectives and challenges are achieved, and deliverables/milestones are completed on time and within the proposed budget.
2. Facilitating communication among the Coordinator, the partners and the EC.
3. Ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to avoid or mitigate potential risks.
4. Identifying and resolving any potential conflicts among the partners and with external bodies.

All tasks in WP1 will be carried out during the entire EcoScope project 
Management Structure and procedures. The management of the project is structured in a way that scientific and technical issues are managed separately from finance and administration. Qualified personnel are assigned to the management tasks so that researchers can focus on the RTD and innovative activities. 

Task 1.1. Overall Co-ordination for achieving project objectives and deliverables on time

The administration team is composed of individuals with experience in project management. The Coordinator will be responsible for the ongoing management of the scientific and technical activities, including maintaining communication with WP Leaders and project partners and ensuring the delivery of high-quality work in accordance with the work plan. For this purpose, the Coordinator will be supported by a Research Manager, a Technical Manager, an Innovation Manager, and an Administrative Manager. Together they will form the Project Executive Board (PEB), which will be responsible for: the strategic and scientific leadership of the EcoScope project. WP and Task leaders will be responsible for the coordination of their WP and tasks respectively. The Coordinator will chair the General Assembly (GA) and the Project Executive Board. The Administrative Manager will be responsible for the daily financial and administrative management of the project. The Coordinator and Administrative Manager are also responsible for monitoring the progress of WPs, tasks, milestones and deliverables and providing this information to the PEB and the GA. 

Task 1.2. Governance structure, organisation and decision rules

The project will commence with a three-day kick-off meeting to discuss the foundations throughout its implementation, to provide a common language and terminology among the participants, to discuss the methodologies for analysing legislation, operation and human resources, time scheduling and requirements for the implementation of WPs. All the partners and members of the International Advisory Board (IAB) will participate in this meeting held within a month of the official start date of the project. The governance structure will be confirmed as explained in the structure, as well as the roles, responsibilities and activities of the different committees and boards and other decision rules. The Coordinator will formulate a Consortium Agreement with the assistance of the legal office of the Research Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This Consortium Agreement will describe in detail the rights and obligations of all partners of the EcoScope project and will consider handling of intellectual property rights and managing of innovation issues. The Consortium Agreement will be signed by all partners before the start of the project. Different groups, committees and boards will operate with specific scope and will submit their ideas to the management team and the General Assembly. These include: An Innovation Board to discuss and push forward new ideas and innovative actions, a technical team for the implementation of the project, a communication team for the dissemination, communication and visibility, and an academy board for the online course material and webinars. 

Task 1.3. Establishment of communication flow and methods

Communication will flow from the bottom-up and from the top-down through typical communication methods such as: in person and remote meetings, e-mail, phone, etc. In particular, a cooperative working method using the EcoScope website will be established. The system will be structured in a way that all participants can upload and download information to and from the WPs and tasks according to their role and responsibilities. Passwords will be distributed to all partners as well as to the EC officials. The Coordinator will act as the sole communication point between the EcoScope Project and the EC; the Project Officer will be invited to attend annual meetings and activities. The Coordinator assisted by the Administrative Manager will provide periodic and final reporting to the EC in accordance with the work plan and the Grant Agreement. 

Task 1.4. Data management plan

A data management plan will be developed for the entire project and specifically for the WPs that are dealing with data. This will require the participants of these WPs to document: (i) the precise nature of the data to be gathered, (ii) the ethical issues associated with these data and their storage, i.e. compliant to GDPR Directive 95/46/EC and taking into consideration issues related to the transfer of data from and to the EU, and (iii) the procedures that will be adopted to ensure that the data are recorded in a systematic and safe manner. Discussions on these issues will not only take place within each WP but will also involve the Research Manager who will ensure that the deposition of data to the website archive complies with best practices in data management. These materials will then be uploaded to a secure website (WP10) where each WP will maintain its own page. Access to the EcoScope website will be strictly limited and controlled for confidentiality purposes. 

Task 1.5. Addressing conflicts and project risk management

The Coordinator will address all potential conflicts related to contractual obligations of the partners and delivery of scientific output. Conflicts will be addressed by the Coordinator immediately on a bilateral basis and if any conflict persist, it will be dealt with by the Project Executive Board (PEB). The PEB will be responsible for continuous risk management (i.e. technical, financial and administrative risk) and for an effective implementation of the contingency plan, which will be periodically reviewed. After each major stage of the project, the PEB will conduct a risk assessment of the achieved results and determine in advance if a correction action should be carried out in the next stages. This includes:
(i) Reporting any minor deviations from the project plan to the General Assembly (GA).
(ii) Implementing the GA recommendations in the contingency plan associated with the specific work package in question.
(iii) Drafting additional or alternative contingency plans, if needed, together with other relevant persons (e.g. the WP Leader in question).
(iv) Communicating the conclusions from the GA, regarding the revised strategies, to all project members, and include them in the project plan.
 (v) In the event of more serious problems, convene with the GA the best route forward; the Coordinator will then advise the Project Officer of the problem and seek the EC’s approval for the proposed solution.

Project management

WP6 aims to develop and implement Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) ecosystem models (www.ecoapth.org) for all case studies as the necessary foundation to examine a range of fishery and ecosystem management and policy scenarios under a changing environment from the local scale to EU spatial scale as required for CFP and MSFD. The models will be coupled with environmental data, oceanographic and biogeochemical models in order to develop the basis required to conduct and run the scenarios. In order to enhance the reliability of the information provided to policy makers, uncertainty and deep uncertainty tools will be developed and implemented into the scenario running and evaluation process. Further enrichment of scenario testing tools will be implemented through the development of a fisheries edition of the MSP Challenge simulation platform for a selected region (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) and then applying this fisheries edition to existing MSP Challenge simulation platform editions (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Adriatic Sea).

**WP6** aims to develop and implement Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) ecosystem models <a href= "www.ecopath.org" target=“_blank”>(www.ecopath.org) </a>for all case studies as the necessary foundation to examine a range of fishery and ecosystem management and policy scenarios under a changing environment from the local scale to EU spatial scale as required for CFP and MSFD. The models will be coupled with environmental data, oceanographic and biogeochemical models in order to develop the basis required to conduct and run the scenarios. In order to enhance the reliability of the information provided to policy makers, uncertainty and deep uncertainty tools will be developed and implemented into the scenario running and evaluation process. Further enrichment of scenario testing tools will be implemented through the development of a fisheries edition of the MSP Challenge simulation platform for a selected region (Eastern Mediterranean Sea) and then applying this fisheries edition to existing MSP Challenge simulation platform editions (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Adriatic Sea).

**WP6** will create ecosystem models for all the case study areas and will interact with various WPs to exploit their insight and information throughout the project. Input from **WP3** (environmental and oceanographic data) and **WP4** (climate change and fishing effort) will provide external forcing data for the models. The data will be used to modify and improve model accuracy and reliability under current conditions and under future environmental change (e.g. climate change) and fishing impact scenarios; insight from climate impacts and niche modelling conducted in **WP4** will be used to increase the **Ecospace** predictive accuracy, primarily in climate change scenarios; indicators developed as part of **WP5** will be incorporated into the model output providing policy makers with the information they require for informed policy decisions. **WP6** will develop the technological foundations, in terms of ecology and fishery interactive simulations to assess the impact of fishery and ecosystem management strategies/policies on the marine ecology and maritime economy. Interactive simulations (mainly EwE) will be integrated into the existing MSP Challenge simulation platform <a href= "https://www.mspchallenge.info/" target=“_blank”>(www.mspchallenge.info)</a> to develop an eastern Mediterranean Sea fisheries management edition of MSP Challenge simulation platform. The eastern Mediterranean Sea was selected because it is a data-poor area that combines two case studies (Aegean Sea and Levantine Sea) and will complement the existing MSP Challenge simulation platform sites and those under construction in other projects (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea).

**Task 6.1.** Ecosystem modelling (Ecopath with Ecosim) of all case study areas

EwE models will be compiled, updated where needed, and applied to all case studies. Models will be linked to external data sources via the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a>. Data sources will include: water temperature, primary productivity, fishing effort data (where available based on **WP3**) for driving the models, and fisheries statistics for model validation. While all case study sites have some level of EwE models in place, we will finalise the development of the EwE models at all sites resulting in Ecosim models at each case study and Ecospace models at selected sites, based on the availability of sufficient spatially structured data. Case study specific issues such as marine protected areas (MPAs), fisheries restricted areas (FRAs), aquaculture integration, and invasive species will be included in the model development where relevant.

**Task 6.2.** Develop and implement uncertainty, deep uncertainty into the scenario testing process 

Will deal with the development of tools for conducting simulations under deep uncertainty for Robust Decision Making. This will consist of an engine to simulate models across large uncertainty spaces (deep uncertainty), database structures to save simulation runs in ways that allow for further analysis, visualisation techniques and machine learning techniques. Two parallel systems to address uncertainty and deep uncertainty will be developed: (1) the White-box system testing to mass-execute EwE models in their original form, varying input parameters and configuring internal model hypotheses; and (2) Behavioural meta-modelling techniques linking macro-level policy decisions with micro-level marine models. Model uncertainty will be analysed, quantified and visualised to aid decision-making.

**Task 6.3.** Fishery and ecosystem management interactive simulation: MSP Challenge simulation platform

We will use the MSP Challenge simulation platform to develop a next generation planning support system (digital twin) dedicated to fisheries management in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Once developed and tested, the fishery management edition will be incorporated in the existing MSP Challenge simulation platform available for a number of the case study sites. The MSP Challenge simulation platform will interconnect best available oceanographic, geochemical, maritime and marine data from the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> with simulation models relevant for fishery management, such as ecology (EwE models), currents, climate change and fishing effort. Using advanced gaming technology, the MSP Challenge simulation platform is designed to engage and immerse users, making it a perfect environment for stakeholder engagement, scenario development, co-design, and social learning. Within this task we will develop a basic MSP Challenge Eastern Mediterranean edition and EwE Ecospace model for the EM region with special emphasis on fisheries, and develop a fisheries management module in the MSP Challenge simulation platform. This will create a single and multi-user complex social-political interaction based on fisheries management with player-user actions over time (fishing fleet reduction, fishing quota, protected areas, aquaculture units and others) and strategic policies or scenarios (based on socio-economic-ecological targets). 

**Task 6.4.** Development and testing of scenarios

In this task, we will develop the infrastructure required to test environmental, management and policy scenarios, we will define the management and policy scenario categories and options and will examine direct (e.g. water warming) and indirect (e.g. invasive species) climate change impacts, as well as theories such as balanced harvesting. We will conduct and test a series of policy scenarios under deep uncertainty related to future climate conditions and the impact of fisheries and invasive species. Robust Decision Making (RDM) will be implemented in order to achieve objective functions such as balanced harvesting and Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) under unknown futures given possible policies. The scenario testing will incorporate model and scenario uncertainty and deep uncertainty developed as part of task 6.2 and apply the Robust Decision Making framework to the scenario evaluation and assessment. Scenarios will be evaluated based on indicators developed as part of **WP5**.

Ecosystem modelling and management scenarios

WP4 aims to collect, align, and standardize global-scale climatic parameters in time (link to WP3) and re-use them in ecological models. In this WP, statistical models and machine-learning models (both supervised and unsupervised) will be used for Big Data analysis operations. The WP includes the development of an inference system for vessel-transmitted information that estimates fishing effort and other features related to patterns and processes of fishing activities per fleet and area. All data and models will feed an overarching model that will assess the impact of climate change and fisheries on the ecosystem, and will produce a vulnerability and a risk assessment index. With the completion of WP4, a global- scale index on the impact of climate and human activities on biodiversity, ecosystems and fisheries will be delivered that will be incorporated in the EcoScope Toolbox (WP5).

**WP4** aims to collect, align, and standardise global-scale climatic parameters in time and re-use them in ecological models. In this WP, statistical models and machine-learning models will be used for Big Data analysis. The WP includes the development of an inference system for vessel-transmitted information that estimates fishing effort and other features related to patterns and processes of fishing activities per fleet and area. All data and models will feed an overarching model that will assess the impact of climate change and fisheries on the ecosystem, and will produce a vulnerability and a risk assessment index. With the completion of **WP4**, a global-scale index on the impact of climate and human activities on biodiversity, ecosystems and fisheries will be delivered that will be incorporated in the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-toolbox" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Toolbox</a>.

**WP4** will evaluate the effect of climate change and variability on species distributions and abundance using high-resolution maps, ecological niche models and machine learning techniques for (common and rare) commercial and non-commercial species and will perform a vulnerability and risk assessment of the effects of climate change and fisheries on ecosystem components. **WP4** is structured to standardise global-scale climatic parameters and use them in ecosystem models, using data from open repositories of climatic, oceanographic and geophysical parameters. 

**Task 4.1.** Climatic parameters

We will use climatic and geophysical parameters from open repositories and align them in time and space. Further, we will make them available as standardised and open-access data under the NetCDF-CF format and multiple resolutions. These Big Data include forecasts for several global-scale environmental parameters between 1950 and 2100, at different spatial and temporal resolutions and under different socio-economic and greenhouse gases emission scenarios (IPCC SRES A2, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5). This collection will be the basis of qualitative and quantitative models, and will be used to evaluate the effects of climate change on human activities and species distributions under different emission scenarios. Several parameters will be examined including sea surface temperature, primary production, bottom temperature, sea surface salinity, bottom salinity, ice cover, air temperature and precipitation. 

**Task 4.2.** Monitoring fishing activity from vessel transmitted Information

In this Task we will use vessel transmitted information (VTI) in real time to detect fishing and exploitation patterns, illegal activities, and gear types in strategic study regions (e.g. the northern Mediterranean Sea coastline) at 0.1° to 0.5° resolution. Specifically, we will use vessel trajectories to determine the distribution of fishing hours across the area per vessel type, identify highest fishing-pressure areas, specify the involved stocks, and track incidental catch species. To this aim, we will use Big Data of historical trajectories from public and private repositories. We will intersect these data with species observation records, stock status information and catch and effort data through statistical and Artificial Intelligence-based inference systems. These inference systems will also estimate how fishing patterns have changed in time, by using time series forecasting techniques, which study the deviation of the patterns detected at a certain time with respect to the current status. The estimated fishing effort in each case study will inform stock assessment models, including multi-species models and fisheries management models (**WP5**) as well as ecosystem models and simulators (**WP6**) for improving the engagement with users.

**Task 4.3.** Ecological Niche modelling

Ecological niche modelling refers to a set of computer-based approaches that predict the actual or potential distribution of a species across a geographic area and time based on environmental and geophysical data. We will use several Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based ecological niche models to determine the native areas of rare and commercial fish and invertebrate species, marine mammals and reptiles included in AquaMaps. We will produce the maps according to the different environmental scenarios and times of the data collected in Task 4.1. Ecological Niche models will include Maximum Entropy, AquaMaps, Artificial Neural Networks, and Support Vector Machines. These models will be combined to best use their complementary features and to increase niche-prediction accuracy. 

**Task 4.4.** Vulnerability and risk assessment of the effects of climate change and fisheries on biodiversity 

In this Task, we will use the Task 4.1 forecasts, the fishing effort and patterns of Task 4.2, and the ecological niche models of Task 4.3 as input to a pattern recognition model that will detect trends of potential ecological change due to climate change. In particular, the forecasted parameters will be used to analyse the different responses of ecosystems to climate change and fishing effort. These will be used within an automatic categorisation process of a large number of niche models, which will produce global patterns of habitat shift and biodiversity change. Fishing activity patterns will be categorised to detect the regions exposed to highest changes in fishing activity. All these categorisations will be combined, to produce a global-scale *impact index* of climate change and fisheries effects, on biodiversity and ecosystems. This index will be used to produce a vulnerability assessment and an overall risk assessment of the effects of climate change and fisheries on biodiversity and ecosystems.

Climate forcing and the human impact

WP3 will develop, demonstrate and maintain the EcoScope Platform, one of the main components of EcoScopium public portal and products of the EcoScope project, which will host meteorological, oceanographic, biogeochemical, environmental, biological, fishery, socio-economic datasets and homogenise them into common standard type and format following international protocols. Data will cover all study areas and will be assembled, compiled and integrated in the system from a multitude of external sources, allowing for an integrated and holistic fisheries management approach within the ecosystem context. The EcoScope Platform will be the modular tool linking data (collected by modern observational multi-platforms, hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model outputs, biological data, etc.) with environmental- and human drivers and with complex spatio-temporal ecosystem models. The EcoScope Platform will couple predictions of changes in marine biogeochemistry, food webs and productivity of ecosystems within the framework of climate change and increased anthropogenic forcing. After data harmonization and injection, the EcoScope Platform will provide data to end-users and stakeholders, in standardised types and formats.

**WP3** will develop, demonstrate and maintain the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a>, one of the main components of **EcoScopium** public portal, which will host meteorological, oceanographic, biogeochemical, environmental, biological, fishery, socio-economic datasets and homogenise them into common standard type and format following international protocols. The <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> will be the modular tool linking data with environmental- and human drivers and with complex spatio-temporal ecosystem models. The <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> will couple predictions of changes in marine biogeochemistry, food webs and productivity of ecosystems within the framework of climate change and increased anthropogenic forcing. 

In **WP3** all collected data from diverse data sources will be compiled, assembled, homogenised and integrated into the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a>. The final product will be a unique interface, capable of integrating multi-disciplinary data such as meteorological, climate, oceanographic, water quality, substrate type, seabed habitats, human impacts, river outflows, nutrient fluxes, fisheries catch, landings, fishing effort data, species distribution maps, benthic biodiversity, marine mammals, and more. Data will be stored in the cloud and will be compatible to the future EU-DIAS cloud system. 

**Task 3.1.** Harmonised database compilation 

This task includes the mapping and scanning of existing databases and data sources (e.g., Earth Observation systems, online models, satellite data, *in-situ* systems, citizen scientist networks) containing meteorological, climate, oceanographic (physical, chemical, biological, biodiversity), human-impact and socio-economic parameters and indicators for all study areas. Databases and platforms will provide data (historic and forecasts) for the above parameters. These data will be combined and merged with data from biological and fisheries databases providing data on biomass, catches and discards, marine mammal distribution, biodiversity, fish and invertebrate species distributions and fishing effort. All data will be homogenised and geo-referenced into a common back-end database, ready to be injected to the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> and used by other WPs 

**Task 3.2.** Data quality control and consistency 

Management and handling of data collected/produced and indicators derived within the frame of **EcoScope** will be carefully managed in order to ensure the consistency and the quality of the data entering the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a>. Considering the large 4D datasets being processed, the different data formats and different data platforms and providers, the data management plan is essential to deal with the data thoughtfully from the beginning. This design phase will consider the following aspects of data management and handling.

**Task 3.3.** Platform development – Phase 1 (Met-ocean data import)

The <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> will follow architectural guidelines, components and interfaces as developed in ODYSSEA H2020 Project (GDPR, cataloguing, data standardisation, protocols, user interfaces, data storage components, etc). In Phase 1, data from Met-Ocean and climatic data platforms and data providers will be integrated into the system, for all areas covered by the **EcoScope** project. These are dynamic datasets, in the sense that change in time and space at various resolutions and special handling of these data is needed. The front-end of the platform will provide the necessary tools to visualise, process and analyse these data in a user-friendly manner. 

**Task 3.4.** Platform development – Phase 2 (Biological and fishery data import)

In Phase 2, data from biological, biodiversity, fishery data platforms and providers will be integrated into the system, for all areas covered by the **EcoScope** project. These are mostly static data, time-series of catches, effort, landings and biomass per species (Sea Around Us project), previously surveyed data, stock status indices, overfishing indicators, biodiversity, sensitivity indicators, socio-economic data and ecological models output and more. All these data will be derived from **WPs 2, 4, 5, 6** and **7** and will be provided ready to be imported in the platform. 

**Task 3.5.** Data pre- and post-processing and fusion 

In this task, pre-processing will check the integrity, consistency and format of data and transform the data in formats ready for import into the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a>. Data will be stored effectively following Big Data Storage and Analytics approach to allow faster access by the processing component. Post-processing will involve data aggregation, especially between abiotic and biotic variables, even at different resolutions, indicators derivation, alarming and the generation of reports. High- and multiple-level data fusion will be carried out on the entire database, utilising machine and deep learning algorithms, neuro-fuzzy inference systems and various intelligent processing and data assimilation methods. Dedicated algorithms will be developed in this task to provide the above services. 

**Task 3.6.** Platform operation and maintenance 

The objective is to deliver a first set of services in M40 to demonstrate the usefulness of the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> and to be able to iterate with users for the requirements consolidation in M48. The maintenance will be realised all along the iterative process of deliveries.

Linking fisheries to the ocean

WP5 aims to assess the status of the ecosystem across all case studies (Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Balearic Sea, Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Black Sea, Levantine Sea, North Sea) and the status of ecosystem components including commercial and non-commercial fish and shellfish, communities, habitats and megafauna (marine mammals, reptiles seabirds, large sharks and rays) through a series of indicators that will be available on the EcoScopium public portal. The ultimate objective of WP5 is to develop a scoring system, the EcoScope Toolbox, comprised of several metrics from different WPs that will be used for management and policy purposes as well as for comparisons among areas and management scenarios. The specific objectives of WP5 that will be applied to all case studies (and to larger regions if data availability permits) are to:

1. Assess commercial and non-commercial fish and invertebrate stocks using novel methods
2. Evaluate anthropogenic and climate induced changes in marine communities
3. Assess the status of protected megafauna groups and habitats
4. Determine overall ecosystem fisheries exploitation and potential profitability
5. Perform a marine ecosystem assessment and develop a scoring system based on various metrics, indices and indicators

**WP5** aims to assess the status of the ecosystem across all case studies (Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Balearic Sea, Baltic Sea, Bay of Biscay, Black Sea, Levantine Sea, North Sea) and the status of ecosystem components including commercial and non-commercial fish and shellfish, communities, habitats and megafauna (marine mammals, reptiles, seabirds, large sharks and rays) through a series of indicators. The ultimate objective of **WP5** is to develop a scoring system, the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-toolbox" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Toolbox</a>, comprised of several metrics from different WPs that will be used for management and policy purposes as well as for comparisons among areas and management scenarios. 

**WP5** is structured from stock to ecosystem level and organised at an increasing level of biological (and modelling) complexity. The WP will assess the status of all ecosystem components ranging from habitats, non-commercial fish and shellfish (by-catch and discarded species or those collected only during scientific surveys) to commercial stocks as well as megafauna that are vulnerable or protected by national and international legislation and conventions). As this field of science is dynamic, any novel methods that will be developed by consortium members will be used to assess populations/stocks, species and ecosystems and will be incorporated into the WP and included in the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-toolbox" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Toolbox</a>. 

**Task 5.1.** Multi-assessment of commercial and non-commercial fish and invertebrate stocks 

Commercial and non-commercial fish and invertebrate stocks will be assessed based on a string of new tools that have been designed for application in data-poor situations but will also work in data rich fisheries as they are often more robust compared to complex assessment models that are data-hungry. These tools, that have varying data requirements and can be extremely useful for un-assessed stocks, rely on catch (CMSY), abundance/biomass (AMSY) and length frequency distribution (LBB) to derive fisheries reference points in the context of MSY and for stocks that are at risk (SAR). The assessments will be performed per case study, but larger ecoregions will also be assessed based on FAO/GFCM/ICES and Sea Around Us catch data and other sources of information. This will be the first massive assessment of previously un assessed non-commercial fish and invertebrate stocks and will allow the assessment of many stocks in data-poor areas as these methods have been specifically designed for data deficiencies. 

**Task 5.2.** Evaluating change in marine communities

A series of community indicators will be examined to assess ecosystem health and anthropogenic effects (climate and fisheries) on marine communities. Besides the classic biodiversity indices that are available through PRIMER software, several other community indices will be calculated directly for each case study, ecoregion or map cell to examine the impact of fishing on marine communities, while others that are related to climate change and variability (e.g. mean temperature of the catch, MTC) will also be determined at the same scales. The mTLc (mean trophic level of the catch) has been extensively used to assess the effect of biomass removal by fisheries on marine communities and ecosystems, while the MTC (mean temperature of the catch) evaluates the effect of sea temperature increase and the impact of climate change on community level building on species distributions and niche modelling of **WP4**. 

**Task 5.3.** Evaluation of habitats, assessment of protected megafaunal groups and energyscapes

The habitats in each case study will be evaluated based on the preference of each species and the conservation status of a large number of protected megafauna groups will be assessed using novel methods along with the energy requirements of some megafauna groups. Particular reference will be made to essential fish habitats because of their importance in overall ecosystem health. The task is divided in three (3) sub-tasks that will run in parallel.

*Sub-Task 5.3.1. Habitat mapping and evaluation*

Existing habitat maps available on the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-platform" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Platform</a> will be evaluated with respect to the preference of each species, and especially with respect to essential fish habitats. These habitats include the waters necessary to fish for spawning, feeding or growth to maturity, i.e. for completing a full life cycle to support a sustainable fishery and contribute to ecosystem health. The output of this evaluation will be done for each case study/ecosystem or ecoregion.

*Sub-Task 5.3.2. Assessment of protected megafauna* 

The decision support tool **JARA** (Just Another Red-List Assessment) is a Bayesian state-space framework that allows both process error and uncertainty to be incorporated into IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List assessments under criterion A of IUCN. The output of JARA, which will be determined for all megafauna species per case study/ecosystem or ecoregion for which information exists, shows the probability of a population decline displayed against the IUCN Red List categories, and assigns each category a probability with uncertainty. 

*Sub-Task 5.3.3. Energyscapes of marine megafauna*

In order to identify critically important habitats for marine megafauna, and better inform species distribution models, we will calculate animal energyscapes (defined as variations in the energy requirements of an organism across geographical space as a function of biotic and abiotic environmental conditions) across their year cycle. This approach will notably test the impact of climate change on the energy requirements and the distribution patterns of marine megafauna, in the context of concurrent use of these spaces for human activities. All megafauna species for which biological information are available to parameterise the energetics models will be included (several species of seabirds and marine mammals, marine reptiles and a few large sharks), and the climatic data will be derived from **WP3** and **WP4.** 

**Task 5.4.** Ecosystem fisheries exploitation indicators 

Within Task 5.4, three ecosystem overfishing indices will be calculated and compared with the biomass-based, catch-based, trophic-based and species-based indicators that will be calculated in the ecosystem models of **WP6**, while the index of fisheries profitability per case study/ecosystem or ecoregion will be calculated based on the current sustainability level (**WP7**). Based on the fisheries exploitation indicators, the fisheries profitability index will be determined for any fisheries management scenario and will be closely connected to the economic analyses that will be performed in **WP7**. Three novel indicators and accompanying thresholds that have been proposed to detect and delineate ecosystem fisheries exploitation or ecosystem overfishing (EOF) will be applied per case study or ecoregion. 

**Task 5.5.** Marine ecosystem assessment and the EcoScope Toolbox development

A marine ecosystem assessment will be conducted in each case study to provide an overarching and integrated assessment adapted to the needs of various end-users. One of the main products of the project the <a href= "https://ecoscopium.eu/ecoscope-toolbox" target=“_blank”>EcoScope Toolbox</a> will be developed within this WP, which will consist of metrics and tools that will produce a total and comparable score for each ecosystem, case study or ecoregion and will be co-designed and evaluated by stakeholders (feedback from **WP8**). Each metric will be measured using a single variable or a combination of various variables, based on the status and trends, environmental or anthropogenic pressure, economic indicators and resilience to change. The overall concept is to develop a universal Toolbox that can be applied anywhere in the world at various scales depending on the data and boundaries and to have a specific set of metrics that can be used independently in each case study and in other areas of the world to support international and local policies and directives.

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