The diversity of stocks, fisheries and fleets in this region renders effective management challenging – a situation which is further complicated by potential changes to fishing rights following Brexit, changing environmental conditions, and reduced fish growth and reproduction in the area.
By integrating social, ecological, and economic considerations into our predictions, SEAwise has worked to offer well-informed recommendations for the implementation of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management in Western Waters.
The research carried out by SEAwise in the region has focused on fisheries in North Western Waters and South Western Waters. You can explore these two regions in more detail by clicking on the links below.
Ranging from the semi-enclosed Irish Sea to the exposed continental shelves of the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay, the Western Waters region is characterised by its diverse marine environments that play host to a broad range of fish stocks and fisheries.
SEAwise has analysed the implications of environmental change on fished species, and assessed how different management measures designed to deal with such changes could impact fisheries and the wider marine ecosystem – predicting their influence on catches, carbon emissions, seafloor impacts, fishing-related litter, and bycatch rates.
Alongside this, we have examined the potential effects of management strategies on stakeholders.
Within the Glossary you will find definitions that are frequently used in the EBFM Tool.
| Terminology | Definition |
|---|---|
| Benthic Habitat | The lowest zone in a body of water which is inhabited by organisms. This refers to the surface of the seabed and/or the base layer (substrate) of the seabed itself and the organisms found there. |
| Bycatch | The unintentional capture of a non target species. This can include fish (e.g. bass) and non-fish (e.g. seal) species. |
| Choke species | When the total allowed catch is reached for one species, meaning the fishery has to close. This is to prevent vessels from accidentally catching more of the fully fished species – known as the ‘choke species’ – despite still having allocations remaining for other species. |
| Demersal Fishery | A fishery which targets fish found near to or on the seabed. This includes both large- and small-scale demersal fisheries. |
| Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) | An approach to fisheries management that takes a holistic overview of all ecosystem, social, and economic elements related to fisheries, including impacts on stocks, marine environments, social benefits, and heritage. |
| Gross Value Added (GVA) | The economic contribution of a producer or sector to the economy, represented by the revenues generated minus their fixed and variable costs. It can be interpreted as the economic gain from an activity. |
| Landing Obligation | Under the EU Landing Obligation catches of species regulated through catch limits or minimum size must be landed and counted against quotas. The aim is to prevent discards of unwanted fish at sea. |
| Management Measure | The specific elements of fisheries management aiming to control and steer fisheries activities in order to achieve desired outcomes (environmental, economic and social). |
| Management Strategy | A combination of policy instruments with associated management measures to achieve desired objectives. |
| Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) | European legislation which aims to protect and achieve good environmental status (GES) of the EU’s marine environment. It enshrines the ecosystem-based approach as the legally-binding and operational principle for managing that environment. |
| Pelagic Fishery | A fishery which targets fish found in the upper or middle layers of the water column, spanning both large- and small-scale pelagic fisheries. |
A droplet legend is used throughout the EBFM Tool to convey the relative status of different categories in the EBFM Tool (e.g. how well fish stocks are faring), and expected changes in these categories, based on various future management and climate scenarios, from the current baseline. The legend is intended as a visualisation tool for communicating trade-offs, and is indicative rather than absolute.