The Workshop on Optimization of Biological Sampling (WKBIOPTIM 2), chaired by Ana Cláudia Fernandes (Portugal) and Maria Teresa Facchini (Italy) was held in Nantes, France, 29–31 May 2018. Fourteen participants from eight countries within the ICES and Mediterranean communities were represented.
This second workshop continued to focus on the practical aspects of optimization of sampling and on the development and improvement of the R-scripts presented in WKBIOPTIM 1. With regards to the sample level analyses, the scripts were reorganized and extended to multiple biological parameters (e.g., age, sex, maturity), for the multi-level analysis, the work was extended to integrate space, time, gear and species in the scenarios and analyses in the context of a concurrent sampling framework. In addition-ally, for this workshop, two other sets of R-scripts were presented and made available for participants to use and test in their own case studies: one related to simulating for ages (number of otoliths selected by length class, with different sampling stratification options: sex, period (month, quarter,..), port, metier at sample level optimization and the other related to developments and updates of the Sampling Design Tool developed in MARE/2014/19 Med & BS project (Deliverable 2.5) (SD Tool v.2) for the multi-level sampling. Concerning the data format, the exchange format of the Regional Database (RDB format) continued to be used as the input data but the intention is to have also the possibility of using e.g the DATRAS format when using survey data in these anal-yses. In this workshop a function to convert that data in the RDB CA table format was prepared and made available for participants to test.
In this workshop, the improvements on the scripts and analyses developed last year were presented, tested and discussed. Participants brought their own case studies along with other suggestions to improve the optimization of sampling, and were sep-arated into two subgroups to work and test the sample level and the multilevel proce-dures. Work developed in this area of improving the biological sampling at national level both for commercial and survey sampling was also presented and discussed dur-ing the workshop. Some code adaptations and work on case studies were only finalised after the workshop.
WKBIOPTIM 2 agreed that the compilation of the scripts and procedures being devel-oped, improved and tested during these workshops should be compiled and docu-mented in a Toolbox (e.g. R-Package) so national institutes can analyse their own data and improve their resources allocation and/or distribution. The group think that the main part of the procedures has already been tested in several case-studies and it can be adapted from now on to include more suggested improvements. Along with this, a guide for adequate use of sampling optimization procedures should also be prepared since there are some important rules to take into account.