23 November 2020
Fishing Industry E-log/VMS Data Pooling Specification (2016-2017)
As part of the Seafish Strategic Investment Programme, a report was completed to assess the feasibility of establishing an IT interface, initially in England, that would enable simple access to VMS and E-log data streams already collected for regulatory purposes so that they may be used as a source of evidencing fisheries for applications that provide collective benefits to the fishing industry, whilst also facilitating improved fisheries and marine management.
Fisheries Science Strategy for Industry Generated Data (2016-2017)
This study was undertaken to address the increasing need for a strategic approach to industry-led data collection in the face of reducing resources and growing need for evidence in fisheries management. The aim was to establish partnerships and action plans that will support the inclusion of fishing industry knowledge and data in the evidence-base for managing UK fisheries.
Three main activities were used to progress the study:
• A review of existing initiatives that have incorporated industry generated data into fisheries management advice and their degree of success.
• A rapid appraisal of data deficient UK targeted stocks, assessment of data needs/gaps that may be augmented by industry generated data, and selection of case study stocks.
• Development of action plans on how data gaps for case study stocks of commercial importance to UK fleets could be filled by the industry.
The review of past projects where fishermen have collected data indicated that there are 19 key attributes to have/avoid in industry-led data collection initiatives. Five of these were identified as fundamental ingredients of successful industry-led data collection initiatives. They include:
• Industry participation – from the grassroots
• Trust and understanding – making sure everyone is on the same page
• Incentives – carrots are better than sticks
• Resources – it’s not free data
• Feedback – fishermen need to see and hear progress.
It was noted that the available literature regularly overlooks these points and in this project efforts had to be made to speak directly with project leads to gain insights.
Scoping Industry Approaches to Fully Documented Fisheries (2012-13)
There is an ever greater need in fisheries policy to effectively evidence fisheries in order to underpin science and management. At the same time, new technologies are on the verge of being able to revolutionise the types and quantity of data that can be gathered on board fishing vessels in practical ways for the benefit of industry, scientists and policy-makers.
The NFFO in collaboration with Cefas under the Fisheries Science Partnership sought to evaluate the basis for enabling the use of data sourced from on board fishing vessels and broadening its potential, and moving beyond initial trials using CCTV to implementing a whole host of industry data gathering strategies that may underpin approaches to fully documented fisheries.
The project included as workshop which was successful in bringing together fishermen, scientists, technology experts, retailers and policy-makers in a mature, considered and thoughtful exchange about the future of catch recording.
Enabling evidence streams from the industry and using it on its behalf offers the potential to realise bottom-up co-management of fisheries and increasingly move away from a centralised “one-size fits all” approach that has characterised past policy failings.
North Sea Stock Survey (2002 onwards)
The North Sea Stock Survey is an annual survey of the North Sea industry’s assessment of the status of stocks over the last year and changes taking place. Managed by the North Sea Advisory Council the survey is an innovative approach to systematically gathering fishermen’s knowledge, which has now generated a time series going back to 2002. We continue to routinely gather inputs from our North Sea members as part of the survey.
North Sea Stocks Survey website
Annual Fisheries Reports (2009, 2011)
Policy makers and the scientific community usually have only a limited knowledge and understanding of how fishing businesses are coping and responding to regulatory measures. This project pioneered a systematic reporting framework on the status of fishing operations and responses to regulation in order to feed back to the scientific and policy communities.