Themes

The scale and diversity of SEAwise’s work means that clear, concise communication between research partners and stakeholders is central to the success of the project. To ensure that the updates and outputs of the project are communicated effectively with all stakeholders, we will: 

• Host online and in-person forums and workshops to build public awareness of our work, and foster meaningful engagement. 
• Proactively encourage and incorporate collaborative input via our Stakeholder Network.
• Deliver targeted reports and briefings designed to inform fisheries managers, policy makers, and other key stakeholders of interim outputs and developments.
• Maintain a strong social media presence and a regular, informal blog, to share latest news, research findings.

Lead partner – Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua), Denmark

Fisheries are often described as part of a “Social Ecological System” – a complex, interactive system in which people and nature are bound together. SEAwise aims to describe and assess the fisheries Social Ecological System, drawing together an understanding of how society, culture, economics, and governance affect fisheries and vice-versa.

We are working to achieve this by:

• Identifying fisheries-relevant social and economic indicators – statistics that can be used to predict how factors such as wellbeing and unemployment will change over time.
• Working with the industry to identify and model key drivers of fisher behaviour, such as the effect of different management measures on fishing grounds.
• Evaluating the main social and economic impacts of fisheries, including their carbon footprint.
• Identifying methods of fisheries management that promote the welfare of the marine ecosystem whilst protecting social and economic interests.
• Analysing the impacts of fish consumption on human health.
• Summarising and visualising the social and economic effects of fishing as part of the SEAwise management advice tool. 

Lead partner – Coispa Tecnologia & Ricerca Scarl (COISPA), Italy

Environmental changes can have a profound impact on the welfare and productivity of fish stocks. This means that the amount of fish available in a fishery can vary depending on ecological factors, such as water temperature and nutrient availability. 

Currently, limited understanding of the effects that ecological changes can have on fisheries makes it difficult to predict their potential long-term impacts. This hinders the ability to identify adaptive and responsive management measures. SEAwise aims to deliver a better understanding of this relationship to improve future management advice.

To achieve this, we’re setting out to:

• Identify the key environmental factors that control productivity.
• Model and predict the ways in which ecological factors could affect fish productivity.
• Incorporate our understanding of how the environment affects fish productivity, as part of the SEAwise fisheries management advice tool.

Lead partner – Institut Francais De Recherche Pour L’exploitation De La Mer (Ifremer), France

Fisheries are known to have unintentional effects on habitats and species which are not directly targeted by fishing activity. This can include the accidental capture (bycatch) of potentially sensitive species, as well as the potential disturbance of seafloor habitats.

SEAwise aims to improve our knowledge of these issues, and identify ways in which different management strategies can lessen their impact. This work will also consider the additional influence of non-fishing-related pressures, such as pollution, climate change, invasive species, and algal blooms. 

To achieve this, we will:

• Identify the key species and habitats impacted by fishing.
• Evaluate the effects of fishing on key ecosystem indicators, including food webs, marine diversity, seafloor and open-sea habitats, fisheries-related litter, and the bycatch of potentially endangered and threatened species.
• Create an online resource which summarises and visualises the environmental impacts of fishing.

Lead partner – Marine Institute, Ireland

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 aims 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, we will:

• Review what is currently known about the effects of human activities and environmental conditions on the spatial distribution of fish.
• Identify which factors are causing changes in the distributions and life-cycles of commonly-fished species, and predicting how this will be affected by climate change.
• Adapt models to predict how future spatial management measures may affect fisheries’ geographical distribution, selectivity, and profitability.
• Summarise 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

In order to establish the most effective recommendations for future fisheries management, it is essential that we utilise existing knowledge and lessons learned. SEAwise aims to evaluate fisheries management plans across Europe, determining which have achieved Good Environmental Status, are economically successful, and protect the well-being of local fishing communities. This information will then be used to develop well-informed, evidence-based future recommendations.

Our approach involves:

• Identifying the key environmental, economic and social factors that should be considered when evaluating fisheries management strategies.
• Using the knowledge gained from other SEAwise work themes to improve our ability to predict the future effectiveness of management plans.
• Predicting how different management strategies will affect the environment, the economy, and society.
• Estimating suitable targets and thresholds for environmental indicators (e.g. carbon emissions), based on the evaluation of a range management plans.
• Designing region-specific management plans that benefit the environment, the economy, and society.
• Incorporating our understanding of how fisheries impact the environment, the economy and society, within the SEAwise fisheries management advice tool.

Lead partner – Fundacion AZTI – AZTI Fundazioa (AZTI), Spain