WORK THEME 5: SPATIAL MANAGEMENT IMPACTS

Welcome to our online course on modelling Spatial Management Impacts

Determining the causes and effects of changes in fish distribution is vital for effective fisheries management. A number of human activities and environmental conditions are known to affect the locations of fish at sea, such as pollution, fishing impacts, and habitat type. However, current understanding of these relationships is limited.

SEAwise set out to establish the reasons for and the effects of changing fish distributions, linking these factors to fisheries productivity (the amount of fish available to catch) and selectivity (which fish end up being caught), as well as determining the economic impacts of such changes.

To achieve this SEAwise:

• Reviewed what is currently known about the effects of human activities and environmental conditions on the spatial distribution of fish.
• Sought to identify which factors are causing changes in the distributions and life-cycles of commonly-fished species, and predict how this will be affected by climate change.
• Adapted models to predict how future spatial management measures may affect fisheries’ geographical distribution, selectivity, and profitability.
• Summarised acquired knowledge of the ways in which shifting fish stocks can impact on productivity and the location of fisheries, as part of an online toolkit.

Lead partner – Hellenic Centre For Marine Research (HCMR), Greece

Lead contact: Dimitrios Damalas (HCMR)

PLEASE NOTE: This page is currently in development, more training materials and links coming soon.

EBFM Symposium 2025

Overview Session 5: Spatial Management for Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management 

Spatial management is a key tool in achieving the aims of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management and hence, evaluations of the impacts of closures with different extents and locations to achieve the objectives are crucial in a knowledge based decision making process. Knowledge and models of the impact of factors such as climate change, protected areas and other maritime activities on the spatial distribution of fish and fisheries and the resulting changes in ecological and social costs and benefits of fisheries is essential to these evaluations. The models can be used to evaluate social and ecological impacts of fisheries management measures including spatial management strategies aiming to decrease the catch of juveniles and choke species, ensure food availability for predators, reduce impact on sensitive species and habitats, decrease CO2 emission (carbon footprint), and increase socioeconomic benefits for fishers.

Talk 1: Projecting Ecosystem Impacts of Spatial Developments and Climate Pressures in the North Sea Using OSMOSE (Logan Binch, Wageningen University and Research)

Talk 2: Evaluating Fisheries Management Scenarios for the Eastern Ionian Sea (Irida Maina, HCMR)

Talk 3: Bio-economic spatial modelling: evaluation of viable management measures in Central Mediterranean Sea (Isabella Bitetto, COISPA Foundation)

Talk 4: European Commission: A spatiotemporal decision tool for fishers, starting with bycatch mitigation (Jean-Noël Druon, Joint Research Centre – European Commission)

Talk 5: Scenarios of spatial fishing closures indicate lower but more concentrated fishing effort for southern the North Sea (Jonas Letschert, Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries)

Talk 6: A win-win-win for fish and fisheries? Restoration of habitats key to improving stocks, catches and marine ecosystems (Olivier Le Pape, Institut Agro, Ifremer)

Talk 7: Anticipating how spatial fishing restrictions in EU waters perform to protect marine species, habitats, and dependent fisheries (Francois Bastardie, DTU Aqua)

Talk 8: Marine Protected Areas as tools in European ecosystem-based fisheries management: Existing compatibility, objective misalignment, and potential for future fisheries objectives (Elliot Brown, DTU Aqua)