Ernesto Jardim ernesto@ipimar.pt, is an Assistant Scientist at the Department of Marine Resources in IPIMAR, with a Degree in Marine Biology and Fisheries and a MSc on Probability and Statistics. At the moment he is doing his PhD in Fisheries Science on the University of Algarve with Prof. Manuel Afonso Dias (U.Algarve), Prof. Paulo Ribeiro (Universidade Federal do Paraná) and Dr. Manuela Azevedo (IPIMAR). Stock coordinator for Southern Hake since 2001 on the ICES Working Groups on the Assessment of Hake, Monk and Megrim. Also working on data collection programmes, he has been involved in several EU funded projects on these subject: Study Contract 94/013, FIEFA and SAMFISH. Since 2006 he is the chairman of the ICES Planning Group on Commercial Catches, Discards and Biological Sampling. He has been regularly invited to participate in STECF on (i) the Sub-Group on Research Needs dealing with several aspects of the Data Collection Regulation (DCR), evaluate MS proposals, evaluate MS activities and revision of the DCR (REG.CE. 1639/2001); (ii) the Sub-Group on Management Options regarding the development of a proposal for a Recovery Plan for Hake and Nephrops in Iberian waters; and (iii) the Sub-Group on Resource Status dealing with effort management. He has skills on database and software development in particular in data analysis systems.