MASTERS PROJECT SCHEME
Project Information Form
PROJECT INFORMATION
Project Title
Desk review of academic theses, reports and papers pertinent to Northern Ireland’s inshore fisheries
Seafish Northern Ireland recently managed a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Pre-Assessment of the Strangford
Lough pot fisheries. The aim of this Pre-assessment was to enable the Northern Ireland Government and industry to
judge management of Strangford Lough pot fisheries against the MSC standard with a view to informing future
management of this fishery which is located in an environmentally sensitive area.
Brief
Strangford Lough has numerous national and international environmental designations and only static fishing gear is
permitted, with access to the fishery restricted to 21 vessels in possession of Strangford Lough licences. Further,
around 40% of the Lough is now closed to all activity to protect degraded horse mussel reefs. As such, Strangford
Lough has a unique set of issues for fishermen and decisions made around management of fishing in Strangford Lough
are likely to set a precedent for management of inshore fisheries elsewhere.
The results of this Pre-Assessment showed that some work is required to bring the management of target species
(brown crab, velvet crab, green crab, Nephrops, buckie whelks, Palaemon) up to the required standard. This can be
achieved through development of an effective fisheries management plan and assisted by having access to more data
on target stocks. There are numerous PhD theses and reports on commercially important shellfish stocks in Northern
Ireland, mainly in Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, but many of these are in the “grey literature”
and important and relevant information has not been published.
How will the student
address/contribute
to addressing the
problem?
A desk based project to review the available literature, focusing on key stocks in Strangford Lough (velvet, brown and
green crabs, pot caught Nephrops, Palaemon and buckie whelks), provide links and enable access to the theses,
reports and academic papers would contribute to providing information to inform a review of the MSC Pre-Assessment
of Strangford Lough pot fisheries. This will sit alongside development of a fisheries management Plan through the
Strangford Lough Fisheries Partnership Group (SLFPG). The results of this desk- based study will be presented to the
SLFPG.
As well as assisting in informing better management of inshore fisheries in Strangford Lough, the results of this study
would inform decisions on inshore fisheries management around the coast of Northern Ireland and would also be
presented to the newly established Inshore Fisheries Partnership Group (IFPG) as target species in Strangford Lough
mirror those in all Northern Irish inshore fisheries. The project will complement ongoing work by AFBI on their Inshore
Strategy and the work of the IFPG as well as a large project on lobster science, nearing completion, led by Queen’s
University Belfast.
Feasibility and
possible problems
What training or
other career benefits
will the student get?
The project is highly feasible. The fact that this study is desk-based means that access to a computer and the internet
are all that is required plus good supervision through Seafish Northern Ireland and the University partner.
A good final project report will not be reliant on fieldwork that could delay the project and result in time being wasted/
lost.
The student will gain skills in:

Researching scientific literature and reviewing the content;

Developing scientific writing skills;

Dealing with fishermen and Fishermen’s Associations;

Dealing with Government officials;

Experience in presenting results at industry/ Government Boards and Steering groups;

Experience working with Seafish for the benefit of industry.
The skills and experience derived from this project will assist the student when looking for a job with a range of
Government bodies and other relevant employers.
Supporting Staff Member
Dr Lynn Gilmore
Email
Lynn.Gilmore@seafish.co.uk