IFMAC 14/9
Inshore Fisheries Management and Conservation Group
Meeting 30th September 2014
MS Inshore Fisheries EFF Project “Evidence Gathering in Support of
Sustainable Scottish Inshore Fisheries”
Progress Update
1. Following funding approval in May contracts have been agreed with the 6
successful contractors who will be delivering the 7 Work Packages (WPs)
identified.
The successful bid for overall project management has been agreed with
MASTS and 2 project facilitators have been appointed. Seafish is the public
delivery partner and Seafood Scotland is assisting with the process.
2. The project duration is constrained by the completion date of the EFF
programme with all WPs to be delivered by August 2015. Consequently each
WP is considered to be a pilot of potential systems or activities which will be
evaluated in terms of the future delivery of Scottish inshore fisheries
management.
3. The principal work themes are: establishing the location of fishing activities
within inshore areas; identifying catch composition, implications for stock
monitoring and fishery impacts; defining the foot print and activities of inshore
fisheries; developing economic value and; establishing a dedicated
information resource base.
4. The location of fishing vessel activity (WP1) is reliant on uptake of AIS
utilising VHF transmission which has additional benefits for vessel safety. On
the west coast in the order of 80 vessels have sought to have units fitted. The
trial will look at both the feasibility of use of the technology and evaluate how
such information could be utilised within the marine planning framework.
Fitment of the majority of units is likely to occur early in 2015.
5. Engaging small inshore vessels and the crews in the process of monitoring
catches with the potential for self reporting is the focus of WPs 2 and 3. In
some cases important inshore shellfish stocks are not subject to routine
monitoring and assessment and it will be important to build reporting
competencies within the inshore fleet. The contractors require 10 participants
and have identified a range of vessels and crew who will be engaged to
undertake self reporting trials. Initial training and scoping of technology will be
undertaken on selected vessels starting in October.
6. The Firth of Clyde and the Moray Firth are the two regions selected to
evaluate how the foot print of fishing activities can be established and utilised
within the wider management system (WP 4). The diverse range of
information streams increasingly being compiled within the marine
environment require to be meaningfully combined and reported in an
intelligible format if maximum benefit for fisheries management is to be
IFMAC 14/9
achieved. Outputs from this WP are being evaluated for inclusion within the
NMPi facility.
7. The economic value of small scale often seasonal landings from isolated
coastal fisheries is being assessed with respect to the use of technology to aid
market intelligence (WP5). Study locations have been established in the NW
and the Moray Firth with the potential to link to both local and more regional
sales opportunities. WP 6 has as a key objective detailed evaluation of the
market specifications for individual species and how these relate to the
fisheries and landings. While minimum legal landing size ensures stock
conservation objectives market requirements to maximise value may be in
excess of these on a national or regional basis. Study locations have been
selected in conjunction with WP 5.
8. The IFG network through their fisheries management plans have sought to
identify suitable data sources to assist decision making. WP 7 aims to provide
an information resource base which is both readily accessible and subject to
routine remote updating. Key to the development of a system for use by the
IFGs is that the multiple streams of information are presented with a view to
focusing on the regional fisheries management implications. The contractors
are working towards a platform capable of allowing both regional interpretation
and cross linking between IFG regions.
9. The pilot nature of the range of initiatives being undertaken within the WPs
requires that a thorough evaluation of all the outputs achieved by the project is
undertaken in due course. This will be achieved both in conjunction with the
contractors and the industry operators involved and also with the wider fishing
industry, the IFGs and other interested parties. In the interim it is proposed to
provide regular updates on progress to the IFMAC group.
10. In the future it is envisaged that successful elements of the project could
be further developed over a longer timescale utilising EMFF funding.