Cephalopods, a gap in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive and their future integration

Abstract With the aim of maintaining or obtaining good environmental status in Northeast Atlantic and northern Mediterranean Sea, European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU-MSFD) came into force 2008. All EU Member States (MS) have task assessing current state their adjacent waters to guarantee sustainable use marine resources healthy ecosystems for future generations. Although MSFD has been implemented over a decade, there are still gaps assessment various ecologically commercially important species, such as cephalopods. Here we describe cephalopods, key component valuable fishing resource, within MSFD. To do so, review how MS deal with this group reporting identify explain cephalopod assessment. We main challenges including limited data rarity dedicated surveys on However, argue that cephalopods can be partially integrated EU-MSFD assessment, illustrating opportunities possibilities integration MSFD, mainly using Descriptors 1–4. Graphical abstract