Brussels, 13/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Monday's Agriculture and Fisheries Council adopted conclusion on how to improve scientific and technical opinions in terms of managing sea populations. The Ministers approved the financial totals proposed by the European Commission (in a communication on the subject), which will be 4 million EUR from 2004-2006 and 1 million EUR in 2003, for the provision of scientific opinions, and appointed the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) the body responsible for issuing detailed opinions on the economic, social and biological elements of the fisheries sector. The Council insists that the scientific opinions be accompanied by several long-term management options for stock, and for the credibility of scientific opinions to be improved by better co-ordination between Member States and the Commission.