Acronym DEEPFISHMAN
Category
Fisheries
Title Management and monitoring of deep-sea fisheries and stocks Programme FP7
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
FP7 - Small or Medium-Scale Focused Research Project
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
KBBE – Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology
Specific Programme (FP7)
Cooperation
Funding source European Coordinator Pascal Lorance Coordinator email pascal.lorance@Ifremer.fr
Coordinator institution
IFREMER - French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (France)
Institutions involved
NA - Azti (Spain) ,
DEFRA - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (United Kingdom) ,
ICL - Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (United Kingdom) ,
IMR - Institute of Marine Research (Norway) ,
MI - Marine Institute (Ireland) ,
MRI - Marine Research Institute (Iceland) ,
MFMR - Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources (Namibia) ,
INRB - National Institute of Biological Resources, IP (Portugal) ,
NA - National Research Council - Institute of Marine Engineering (Italy) ,
IEO - Spanish Institute of Oceanography (Spain) ,
HI - University of Iceland (Iceland) ,
NA - University of Portsmouth (United Kingdom) ,
Start year 2009 End year 2012 Funding (€) € 3,805,786 Website http://deepfishman.hafro.is/doku.php Summary Deepwater fisheries pose particular difficulties for management. Target species stocks are difficult to assess with high levels of uncertainty, they are vulnerable to overfishing and sustainable levels of exploitation are low. Ecosystems are impacted by fishing due to the removal of target species, bycatch of numerous fish and other organisms and the crushing of benthos such as e.g. cold water coral and large sponges. However, the impact of fishing on the deepwater ecosystem in general is poorly quantified. DEEPFISHMAN will develop a range of strategy options for the management of deepwater fisheries in the NE Atlantic that will take account of these factors. Firstly, the aim will be to identify new and more effective assessment methods, reference points, control rules and management strategies to be used in the short term, making better use of available data. Secondly, a reliable long-term framework will be developed for which additional data needs will be specified in order to fill current information gaps to achieve reliable long-term management requirements. This work will be developed by examining a range of case studies selected to reflect the different types of deepwater fishery found in the NE Atlantic. In addition, two case studies outside the NE Atlantic have been selected to give a wider perspective on the management and monitoring of deepwater fisheries elsewhere in the world. For each case study issues of assessment or management will be identified and new methods will be developed and tested. Recommendations for future methods and approaches will be made. The socio-economic profile and projected impact of the management strategy options as applied both through a short- and long-term framework will be examined for selected fisheries. In this way the project outputs will aim to provide robust guidelines for deepwater fisheries management suitable for adoption within the Common Fishery Policy. The work will involve an ICPC country.
(1) To review (i) salient characteristics of the deep-water environment in the NE Atlantic, (ii) the major features of selected fisheries (this require input from the Industry and the collation and analysis of socio-economic data), (iii) the life history characteristics and vulnerability to fishing of the stocks/species targeted in these fisheries, (iv) the current availability of fisheries, ecosystem and biological data, (v) the current methods used for monitoring, assessing and managing the state of stocks, (vi) the current state of deep-water stocks in the NE Atlantic and (vii) the outcomes and guidelines from the Commission of the European Communities, specific RTD programme "Specific Support to Policies", SSP-2004-22745 "Probabilistic assessment, management and advice model for fishery management in the case of poor data availability" (POORFISH) of relevance to deep-water stocks; (2) To draw lessons from the current management and monitoring frameworks for deep-water species used internationally, to identify strengths and weaknesses. These includes e.g. approaches employed by (i) EU and NEAFC in the NE Atlantic, taking into account the recent Review of the Management of Deep-water Stocks carried out by the Commission (ECCOM, 2007), the outcomes of a recent European Parliament Workshop on Deep-water Stock Management (EP, 2007) and the views of fishers as expressed through the relevant RACs; (ii) deep-water fisheries New Zealand, (iii) by NAFO for Greenland halibut fishery in the NAFO Regulatory Area, (iv) orange roughly fishery in Namibia and (vi) the effort-based management framework for deep-water and other species in the Mediterranean and (vii) the experience of CCLAMR in assessing and managing stocks of Patagonian toothfish and finally, and importantly, the views of stakeholders; (3) To examine and trial stock assessment methods not previously used or not fully developed for use on deep-water stocks in the NE Atlantic, with the primary aim of evaluating the state of stocks; (4) To examine appropriate biological reference points (BRPs, e.g. MSY for stocks prosecuted by selected fisheries) and harvest control rules (HCRs) for deep-water fisheries/stocks in the NE Atlantic, and to explore the feasibility of simple approaches (e.g. the use of biological parameters such as trends in mean length and proportion immature : mature in catches) as indicators of the status of stocks; (5) To explore catch data from appropriate case study fisheries for trends in biodiversity, to identify protocols for monitoring biodiversity (of both vertebrates and invertebrates) in the deep-water ecosystem and to integrate issues of by catch species and biodiversity in the management of deep-water fisheries; (6) To develop a range of strategic options for the exploitation of deep-water stocks, fisheries and ecosystems in the NE Atlantic with the overall aim of developing a short- and long-term ecosystem based management framework with the aim of reversing any negative trends in abundance and reducing impacts of fisheries on biodiversity and, where feasible, vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). Management frameworks will take into account (i) the outcomes of the objectives above, (ii) the FAO International Guidelines on the Management of Deep-water Fisheries in the High Seas (FAO, 2007), (iii) a risk assessment approach and (iv) the requirement that EU member States commit themselves to maintaining or restoring fish stocks to levels that would produce MSY by no later than 2015; (7) To develop a socio-economic profile of selected fisheries and to evaluate projected socio-economic impacts of management strategy options as applied both through a short- and long-term management framework; (8) To disseminate outputs/results to stakeholders, policy makers and NGOs.
Keywords
Economy;
Fisheries management;
Stock assessment;
Marine Region
34
Bay of Biscay offshore (27.VIIId)
35
West of Bay of Biscay (27.VIIIe)
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Northern Alboran Sea (GSA 1)
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Bay of Biscay Southern (27.VIIIc)
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Southern Alboran Sea (GSA 3)
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Eastern Ionian Sea (GSA 20)
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Porcupine Bank (27.VIIc)
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Norwegian Sea (27.IIa)
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Bay of Biscay Central (27.VIIIb)
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Rockall (27.VIb)
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Iceland Grounds (27.Va)
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Bay of Biscay North (27.VIIIa)
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Marine Region Map
