The SEAwise EBFM Tool lets you explore the key results of the SEAwise project.
Intended as an accessible resource for a broad range of stakeholders, the EBFM Tool can be used to gain a better understanding of the trade-offs associated with different fisheries management interventions, under different climate change scenarios, across four Case Study Regions – the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and Western Waters.
The Tool allows for visualisation of these trade-offs across social, economic and ecological dimensions in each of these regions, and offers further information on each of these topics. In doing so, the open-access tool is designed to support the effective implementation of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) in Europe.
A near-enclosed area of the North Atlantic, nestled between Scandinavia and mainland Europe, and connected to the North Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, the Baltic Sea is characterised by areas of low oxygen concentration, historically high contaminant and nutrient levels, and significant interaction between fisheries and marine mammals.
Situated between the UK, Norway, and mainland Europe, the North Sea hosts a wide variety of habitats and commercially-significant fish species, but fisheries here face rapidly rising ocean temperatures, offshore wind development, and changes to fishing-access due to Brexit, meaning management advice must be both resilient and adaptive.
A subdivision of the Northeast Atlantic extending from the west coast of Ireland and Scotland to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Western Waters are characterised by diverse marine environments, a broad range of fish stocks and multinational fisheries, rendering effective management challenging.
The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea stretching along the southern coast of the European continent, and encompassing the Ionian and Southern Adriatic Seas. The region is characterised by high biodiversity and socially important small-scale fisheries, as well as heavily exploited stocks, with low biological productivity.
The Baltic Sea region is characterised by areas of low oxygen concentration, historically high contaminant and nutrient levels, and significant interaction between fisheries and marine mammals.
SEAwise has examined how commercially-important fish stocks including cod, herring, and sprat) are impacted by changes in environmental and ecological conditions, and evaluated how such changes could alter the wider environmental impacts derived from fisheries.
We have also worked to predict changes in fisheries’ carbon emissions, fishing-related litter, seafloor impacts, and the accidental capture of marine wildlife.
Fisheries in the North Sea are faced with rapidly rising ocean temperatures, increasing demand for space from offshore wind developments, and changes to fishing-access due to Brexit.
The dynamic policy landscape and environmental challenges currently facing the region mean that management advice must be both resilient and responsive to swift change.
SEAwise has considered the rapid changes currently happening in the North Sea, and the potential future impacts of different management strategies on fisheries, society, and the region’s ecosystems to offer EBFM advice that balances these needs.
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.
Home to a large small-scale fleet, poorly identified and heavily-fished stocks make the Mediterranean ecosystem sensitive to changing environmental conditions.
In this region, SEAwise has assessed the seafloor impacts of fisheries, fisheries-related litter, and the accidental capture of sensitive species.
Alongside this, the project has analysed how climate change, invasive species, and management measures will interact to affect the region’s environment and fisheries, anticipating changes in carbon emissions, catches, and profitability.
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.